Vance Kelly

Already a Chicago blues institution for over a quarter century, Vance Kelly finally began raising his international profile during the mid-1990s. Born January 24, 1954, he began making waves on the South Side club circuit while still a teenager, performing both as a solo artist and as a sideman; over time he developed a ringing guitar sound, and a 1987-1990 tenure as a member of A.C. Reed's Sparkplugs also profoundly influenced his supple vocal style. A favorite among his peers, Kelly and his Backstreet Blues Band still failed to attract record company attention prior to 1992, when he signed with Wolf; his acclaimed debut Call Me appeared in 1994, followed a year later by Joyriding on the Subway. He resurfaced in 2000 with What Three Old Ladies Can Do. Kelly's sixth release for Wolf in 2005, Nobody Has the Power, featured his daughter, Vivian, making her vocal debut on three tracks.