Lori Kelley
Performing Songwriter
* 2005 Washington Area Music Association "WAMMIE" Award Winner!
- Best Contemporary Folk Duo/Group (with Cletus Kennelly)
* 2003 Washington Area Music Association "WAMMIE" Award Winner!
- Songwriter of the Year
- Song of the Year ("It Was a Great Day")
* 2003 Mid-Atlantic Song Contest Awards Winner
- Grand Prize for "It Was a Great Day"
- Gold Medal Award in Country Category
If Patsy Cline were a Dixie Chick ...
Story songs of the unexpected, peculiar topics and songs about obsession - an invigorating voice delivered in a witty, lively performance. Lori's captivating songs fill the Country, Folk, and Pop genres.
Bragging Rights & Brushes with Greatness:
Lori was voted Songwriter of the Year at the 2003 Washington Area Music (WAMMIE) Awards, and her recording "It Was a Great Day" received top honors for Song of the Year. In addition to her many WAMMIE nominations, Lori won the prestigious Mid-Atlantic Song Contest 2003 Overall Grand Prize and Gold Medal Award in Country for "It Was a Great Day." She performs in the Washington, DC, area with award-winning performing songwriter Cletus Kennelly. Lori has also shared the stage with Nashville hit songwriters Pat Alger (co-wrote "The Thunder Rolls" with Garth Brooks), Tia Sillers & Mark D. Sanders (Lee Ann Womack's 2001 Song of the Year, "I Hope You Dance"), Mark Selby (co-wrote Dixie Chicks hit "There's Your Trouble"), and Steve Key (Kathy Mattea's "Record Time (33, 45, 78)").
The Life of Lori:
Lori grew up in Arizona, California, and Florida. She learned to play guitar at age 11, and began writing songs as a teenager. Lori attended Broward Community College, Arizona Western College, and graduated from Northern Arizona University with a bachelor's degree in Music Education with emphasis on vocal performance. Lori's professional career began in New York City in a small band called "Main Squeeze." After starting a family, Lori settled in northern Virginia, and, in 1996, recorded her first CD. "Lori Kelley & Twice Shy - Take Action" includes twelve original songs she performs with her sister, Michelle, and brother-in-law, Butch Nielson.
Soon afterward, Lori moved to Key West, Florida, and quickly found herself at home in the laid-back music scene of the Keys. She became a regular entertainer at the famous watering hole, Capt. Tony's Saloon. While in Key West, Lori recorded an all-original solo CD, entitled "Lori Kelley - With Love From Key West."
Lori returned to northern Virginia in 1999, where she continues performing in various east coast locales. She recently released her latest CD, entitled "Like Sea Glass."
You can learn more about Lori or hear her music by visiting her web site at www.LoriKelley.com
Reviews of Lori's Live Performances ...
"I've listened to a lot of acts, and I've never heard a better singer and songwriter than Lori ... Jewell, Paula Cole and their ilk can just move over. Lori does generation X music better." - Valerie Ridenour, Key West the Newspaper
"Lori Kelley has a remarkable way with melodies, and she seems to have a few new gems every month. So, her performances are always fresh. Plus, you never know what she's going to say." - Scott Moore, Moore Music in the House
"Lori plays excellent rhythm on her steel string Guild guitar. Her voice is simply delicious." - Musical Magic at Geiger Key, Key West the Newspaper
"Lori will keep you riveted to your barstool with lilting country vocals and sugarbaby smiles ... She's an angel who makes her audience bop like hell..." - Solares Hill Newspaper, Key West, Florida
"She makes me think of a modern day Joni Mitchell, only better." - 5 Stars for Lori Kelley at Captain Tony's, Key West the Newspaper
"The range of Lori's four-octave voice when mixed with a twang of country intoxicates the listener like the buzz in a good red wine." - Heather Hall, Folk in the Attic House Concerts
Reviews of Lori's latest CD release, "Like Sea Glass" ...
"'Like Sea Glass' is excellent on all accounts." - Michael Jaworek, The Birchmere Theater
"This is a fun album. Lori clearly had fun doing it and the listener can have fun listening." - Victor Heyman, Vic's Music Corner
"It´s a great album - very good songs and great voice ... a pearl on my program."
Alex Pijnen, BRTO, Radio Holland
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