The Blues Band

England's the Blues Band came together under the direction of former Manfred Mann frontman Paul Jones alongside guitarist and singer Dave Kelly. Prior to the ensemble's launch in 1979, Kelly had already spent time in the John Dummer Blues Band and released multiple solo projects; blues icons Howlin' Wolf and John Lee Hooker had both singled out his guitar work for admiration. Kelly's connection with longtime acquaintance and bassist Gary Fletcher supplied the initial spark that grew into the group, which went on to record an extensive catalog of releases. Among them were the 1980 titles Official Bootleg Album and Ready, followed by 1981's Itchy Feet, 1982's Brand Loyalty—which introduced ex-Family drummer Rob Townsend—and the subsequent sets Bye Bye Blues in 1983, These Kind of Blues in 1986, Back for More in 1989, Fat City in 1991, Homage in 1993, and Wire Less in 1995. Kelly also assembled the Dave Kelly Band during the mid-1980s, producing four albums under that name, while composing music for advertisements and for BBC TV productions such as King of the Ghetto and The Comic Strip Presents Strike!. BBC listener polls named him Best Acoustic Artist repeatedly across the 1990s, and he shares honorary-patron status at the London Guitar College with Hank Marvin.