Kellye Gray
Encyclopedia
Kellye Gray is a jazz
vocalist based in Austin, Texas
. A Dallas native, Gray was a fixture in Houston for several years before moving to San Francisco in 1992. Beginning her career on Austin’s Sixth Street, she provided a rare jazz experience that attracted the
college crowd as well as the more sophisticated up-and-coming baby boomers. The San Francisco Examiner
called her "a musically most imaginative tour de force."
In 1990 her first album, Standards In Gray (Justice Records), soared to #12 on the Gavin Report, selling over 75,000 copies. Three years later, another chart-topper, Tomato Kiss (Proteus Recordings), helped her move into the national spotlight. An induction into the Texas Jazz Heritage Society along with moving to San Francisco continued to raise the bar and legitimized her as a career jazz vocalist. CMJ New Music Report said she "emerges with moxie and sophistication."
Her career stalled in 2000 after bereavement and divorce. Not one to be driven too far off-track, in 2002–2003 Kellye produced the double live album, Blue and Pink (Proteus Recordings). By early 2007 she had put a new team together and released the concert recording, Live at the Jazzschool (Grr8Records).
2008 opened with another live recording, KG3 Live! at the Bugle Boy (Grr8Records), an acoustic trio project featuring classical guitar, acoustic bass and jazz voice. The trio recorded at the La Grange, Texas vintage WWII
army barracks venue. She is currently focused on new studio projects, including a duet recording with Mark Levine
, another acoustic trio disc, and an original project. In the summer of 2010 she will be the Vocal Intensive Instructor at Jazz Camp West in California.
Kellye has performed for dignitaries and heads-of-state. She has had the honor of sharing the stage with a wide variety of jazz, blues and R&B stars throughout the United States and the world. She regularly tours the U.S. and Europe, performing at festivals and concerts and nightclubs. Some notable mentions have been the Spoleto Festival USA
,
Stanford Jazz Festival, Houston International Festival
, the Jazz and Blues Heritage Festival, the San Francisco Jazz Festival
, Yoshi's
, the Cinegrille, Snug Harbor
, Lincoln Center, Les Caveaux de la Rochette, and many, many more.
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
vocalist based in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
. A Dallas native, Gray was a fixture in Houston for several years before moving to San Francisco in 1992. Beginning her career on Austin’s Sixth Street, she provided a rare jazz experience that attracted the
college crowd as well as the more sophisticated up-and-coming baby boomers. The San Francisco Examiner
The San Francisco Examiner
The San Francisco Examiner is a U.S. daily newspaper. It has been published continuously in San Francisco, California, since the late 19th century.-19th century:...
called her "a musically most imaginative tour de force."
In 1990 her first album, Standards In Gray (Justice Records), soared to #12 on the Gavin Report, selling over 75,000 copies. Three years later, another chart-topper, Tomato Kiss (Proteus Recordings), helped her move into the national spotlight. An induction into the Texas Jazz Heritage Society along with moving to San Francisco continued to raise the bar and legitimized her as a career jazz vocalist. CMJ New Music Report said she "emerges with moxie and sophistication."
Her career stalled in 2000 after bereavement and divorce. Not one to be driven too far off-track, in 2002–2003 Kellye produced the double live album, Blue and Pink (Proteus Recordings). By early 2007 she had put a new team together and released the concert recording, Live at the Jazzschool (Grr8Records).
2008 opened with another live recording, KG3 Live! at the Bugle Boy (Grr8Records), an acoustic trio project featuring classical guitar, acoustic bass and jazz voice. The trio recorded at the La Grange, Texas vintage WWII
army barracks venue. She is currently focused on new studio projects, including a duet recording with Mark Levine
Mark Levine
Mark Levine is the name of:* Mark Levine , jazz musician* Mark Levine , host of Mark Levine's Inside Scoop radio show, and The American Dream television show on Press TV*Mark Levine , American poet...
, another acoustic trio disc, and an original project. In the summer of 2010 she will be the Vocal Intensive Instructor at Jazz Camp West in California.
Kellye has performed for dignitaries and heads-of-state. She has had the honor of sharing the stage with a wide variety of jazz, blues and R&B stars throughout the United States and the world. She regularly tours the U.S. and Europe, performing at festivals and concerts and nightclubs. Some notable mentions have been the Spoleto Festival USA
Spoleto Festival USA
Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, South Carolina, is one of the world's major performing arts festivals. It was founded in 1977 by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Gian Carlo Menotti, who sought to establish a counterpart to the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, Italy...
,
Stanford Jazz Festival, Houston International Festival
Houston International Festival
Houston International Festival also known as iFest, is a contemporary, multi-disciplinary, multi-cultural arts and music festival held annually in Houston, Texas. This North American festival takes place every April on in downtown Houston's parks and plazas...
, the Jazz and Blues Heritage Festival, the San Francisco Jazz Festival
San Francisco Jazz Festival
Debuting in 1983, the San Francisco Jazz Festival is an annual three-week celebration of today's best music, with over 30 concerts. Produced by SFJAZZ, a non-profit organization dedicated to jazz and jazz education...
, Yoshi's
Yoshi's (jazz club)
Yoshi's is the preeminent jazz club of the San Francisco Bay Area.Started as a Japanese restaurant in Berkeley by Yoshi Akiba, a World War II war orphan, , and her friends Kaz Kajimura and Hiroyuki Hori, the club soon moved to a larger space on Claremont Avenue in Oakland, California and began to...
, the Cinegrille, Snug Harbor
Snug Harbor (jazz club)
Snug Harbor is a popular jazz club, bar, and restaurant on Frenchmen Street in the Faubourg Marigny section of New Orleans, Louisiana.- Overview :...
, Lincoln Center, Les Caveaux de la Rochette, and many, many more.