The rock era saw a few white female singers, like Janis Joplin,
show they could sing the blues. But one who could outshine them all --
Jo Ann Kelly -- seemed to slip through the cracks, mostly because she
favored the acoustic, Delta style rather than rocking out with a heavy
band behind her. But with a huge voice, and a strong guitar style
influenced by Memphis Minnie and Charley Patton, she was the queen.
What Color Is Blues?
Born
January 5, 1944, Kelly and her older brother Dave were both taken by
the blues, and born at the right time to take advantage of a young
British blues scene in the early '60s. By 1964 she was playing in
clubs, including the Star in Croydon, and had made her first
limited-edition record with future Groundhogs guitarist Tony McPhee.
She expanded to play folk and blues clubs all over Britain, generally
solo, but occasionally with other artists, bringing together artists
like Bessie Smith and Sister Rosetta Tharpe
into her own music. After the first National Blues Federation
Convention in 1968 her career seemed ready to take flight. She began
playing the more lucrative college circuit, followed by her
well-received debut album in 1969. At the second National Blues
Convention, she jammed with Canned Heat,
who invited her to join them on a permanent basis. She declined, not
wanting to be a part of a band -- and made the same decision when Johnny Winter
offered to help her. Throughout the '70s, Kelly continued to work and
record solo, while also gigging for fun in bands run by friends,
outfits like Tramp and Chilli Willi -- essentially pub rock, as the
scene was called, and in 1979 she helped found the Blues Band, along with brother Dave, and original Fleetwood Mac
bassist Bob Brunning. The band backed her on an ambitious show she
staged during the early '80s, Ladies and the Blues, in which she paid
tribute to her female heros. In 1988, Kelly began to suffer pain. A
brain tumor was diagnosed and removed, and she seemed to have
recovered, even touring again in 1990 with her brother before
collapsing and dying on October 21. Posthumously, she's become a
revered blues figure, one who helped clear the path for artists like Bonnie Raitt and Rory Block.
But more than a figurehead, her recorded material -- and unreleased
sides have appeared often since her death -- show that Kelly truly was
a remarkable blueswoman. ~ Chris Nickson, All Music Guide