An Evening with KELLEY HUNT "Gravity Loves You" CD Release Concert

KELLEY HUNT

These days it's rare when a blues-based artist shows up with both tradition and true originality on their side. Roots R&B / Americana singer / songwriter / piano player KELLEY HUNT is just such an artist -- a woman who has muscled her way onto the scene on her own terms with an identity that is steeped in blues/roots/gospel traditions but reaches out toward refreshingly unexpected horizons. That freshness together with a commanding, passionate stage presence and superior skills as a vocalist, piano player and writer have earned Kelley the respect of critics and fans across North America and Europe. Born in Kansas City, Hunt's love for her craft was fine tuned listening to early blues, R&B, roots rock, jazz and gospel influences including Ruth Brown, Mahalia Jackson, Billie Holiday, Ann Peebles, Ray Charles, Dinah Washington, Aretha Franklin, Charles Brown, Wanda Jackson and a crossection of the New Orleans/St. Louis/KC piano traditions of Professor Longhair, Toots Washington, James Booker, Johnnie Johnson and Kansas City masters Jay McShann and Mary Lou Williams among others. While clear reminders of those very traditional influences are there in Kelley's live performances and recordings, her lyrics, soul and passion are all her own. The result has been impressive critical praise, "surprises don't often crop up on the well-trodden blues circuit. So welcome Kelley Hunt. This Kansan is a full-blown phenomenon: Powerhouse singer, hard-boogieing pianist, polished songwriter