Biography
In the rock era, only a handful of white female vocalists such as Janis Joplin demonstrated the ability to deliver authentic blues. Jo Ann Kelly stood above them all yet never achieved comparable recognition, largely because she preferred the unaccompanied acoustic Delta approach instead of performing with a loud electric band. Possessing a powerful voice and a commanding guitar technique shaped by Memphis Minnie and Charley Patton, she earned the title of the genre’s foremost practitioner. Born on January 5, 1944, Kelly and her older brother Dave both developed a deep passion for the blues and arrived at precisely the moment when Britain’s nascent blues movement was taking shape in the early 1960s. By 1964 she was appearing regularly at venues including the Star in Croydon and had cut her first limited-edition single alongside future Groundhogs guitarist Tony McPhee. She soon began performing throughout Britain’s folk and blues clubs, most often alone yet sometimes alongside fellow musicians, weaving the styles of Bessie Smith and Sister Rosetta Tharpe into her own repertoire. Following the inaugural National Blues Federation Convention in 1968, her career appeared set for wider exposure. She moved onto the college circuit and released a warmly received debut album in 1969. At the second National Blues Convention she jammed with Canned Heat, who offered her a permanent place in the group; she declined, preferring to remain independent, and later turned down a similar proposal from Johnny Winter. Throughout the 1970s she maintained a solo career of performances and recordings while occasionally joining informal ensembles led by friends, among them Tramp and Chilli Willi, groups that belonged to the emerging pub-rock scene. In 1979 she joined her brother Dave and original Fleetwood Mac bassist Bob Brunning to form the Blues Band. The group supported her ambitious early-1980s production Ladies and the Blues, a showcase dedicated to her female influences. Kelly began experiencing severe discomfort in 1988; physicians discovered and removed a brain tumor, after which she appeared to regain her health and resumed touring with her brother in 1990 before suffering a fatal collapse on October 21. In the years since her death she has been recognized as a pivotal blues artist who helped open doors for performers such as Bonnie Raitt and Rory Block, while her extensive catalog, including many previously unreleased tracks, confirms that Kelly was an exceptional blueswoman in her own right.
Albums
