Irene Kelley

Growing up in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, Irene Kelley launched her musical journey by performing in a high school cover band devoted to Led Zeppelin. Her suggestion to incorporate a Dolly Parton number prompted her removal from the group, an incident that quietly steered her toward country music. At age 19 she purchased her first guitar, a Cortez model adorned with decorative inlay, drawn solely by its appearance. That instrument soon inspired the original songs that would open doors to Nashville.

Among her earliest recordings was the track “Pennsylvania Is My Home,” which earned a nomination for the state’s official song though it was not ultimately selected. A live version of the piece was featured in a PBS documentary, and copies mailed to Nashville publishers caught the attention of Gordon Payne at CBS Records. After submitting additional demos, she secured a recording contract with MCA and moved to Nashville with her husband in 1983.

MCA issued two singles—“You Are a Rock and I Am a Rolling Stone” and “Love Is a Hard Road”—but abandoned the completed album. Kelley persisted with songwriting, supplying material later recorded by Loretta Lynn, Trisha Yearwood, and Ricky Scaggs, among others. Domestic responsibilities, including raising two young daughters, delayed further album projects.

In 1999 she released Simple Path on her own label, supported by accomplished Nashville musicians. The recording attracted enough notice and critical approval to gain national distribution, resulting in its 2001 reissue by Relentless Nashville.