Paul Kelly (U.S. musician)
Encyclopedia
Paul Kelly, born June 19, 1940, is a United States
singer-songwriter
. He is best known for the soul
songs "Stealing in the Name of the Lord", which was a major hit in 1970, and "Hooked, Hogtied & Collared". He also wrote "Personally", which has been widely-covered
, and was a hit for soul singer Jackie Moore, as well as country
singers Karla Bonoff
and Ronnie McDowell
. Other songs have been covered by gospel
artists, including the Mighty Clouds Of Joy
and The Staple Singers
.
, the fourth of six siblings. Kelly was brought up by his grandmother. In about 1956, Kelly's brother Henry formed a vocal group, with Paul as lead vocalist. It only lasted a few months, before Henry left Miami to go to college. Paul then formed a group with school friends from 20th Street School
— The Spades, later known as The Valadeers. Another member was Jimmy Cherry, who later sang with The Fantastics.
A Miami-based singer/songwriter/producer, Clarence Reid
(who would later perform as Blowfly), heard Kelly rehearse, and asked him to fill in on lead vocals with his group, The Delmiros, whose lead singer had laryngitis. Kelly recorded a single, "Down With It, Can't Quit It"/"Sooner Or Later", which was released on Selma Records in 1963, under the name Clarence Reid & The Delmiros. Kelly began performing the song live in clubs and became associated with the song. Reid asked him to join The Delmiros on a permanent basis.
Kelly's official debut solo single appeared on the Lloyd label in 1965: "It's My Baby"/"The Upset" (inspired by the surprise boxing victory of Cassius Clay over Sonny Liston
.) A second single, "Chills And Fever" (written by Clarence Reid and Willie Clarke) was picked up by Dial Records
and distributed by Atlantic
. label for wider distribution. Relations between Kelly and Reid became strained. Nashville producer Buddy Killen
, who had also fallen out with Reid, approached Kelly about working together. Meanwhile, Lloyd Records issued an answer record, "Thrills And Chills", by Helene Smith. Kelly released a third single, "Since I Found You" under the name Paul Kelly & the Rocketeers.
After this, Kelly released four singles on Philips Records
, produced by Killen in Muscle Shoals
, including a ballad, "Nine Out Of Ten Times" (writing credit: Kelly/Reid/Clarke). Meanwhile, Dial had released two singles by the highly-popular Joe Tex
, one of which ("We're Gonna Make It') was co-written with Kelly. At the time, Kelly often toured with and opened for Tex.
In 1967, Kelly decided to move to Brooklyn
, New York City
, and invited a song-writing collaborator, Juanita Rogers, to join him. They became a couple and moved in together. Kelly cut some material for Stan Watson's Philly Groove label in 1968, but it remains unissued and he later described it as poor.
in mind. However, Sam Moore, whom he had known in Miami, rejected it.
The song, whose title references "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone
", tackles the hypocrisy of some church
leaders. It includes the lines:
Kelly later commented: "that's been my way of thinking all the time. Thinking about what's wrong with [the] church... And what they talk about and what they do are two different things..."
Kelly sold the rights to the song to Buddy Killen, and recorded it at Muscle Shoals. Killen got it released through the Hollywood-based Happy Tiger Records
. However, R&B radio stations were worried that the song would offend sponsors, such as those on gospel
shows. The record was consequently slow to take off.
Around the same time, Annette Snell
, under the name Annetta, released a single written by Kelly, who assisted on backing vocals, called "Since There Is No More Of You'.
The breakthrough came when Jerry "Swamp Dogg" Williams Jr.
, who was about to visit Baltimore to promote his own productions, persuaded Kelly to come with him. They visited a WWIN
radio DJ, Rockin' Robin. Although Kelly was now trying to push the b-side, "The Day After Forever", Rockin' Robin liked "Stealing In The Name Of The Lord" so much, that he played it several times in a row. Kelly recalled: "everybody started calling in and I never looked back after that." The single first appeared on the Cashbox R&B charts on June 13, 1970 and in Billboard
a week later. It peaked at #5 (Cashbox) and #14 Billboard.
The song also became popular in England
's Northern Soul
club scene. (In the 1980s it became the basis for a song of the same name by an English post-punk
band, Yeah Yeah Noh
.)
Despite Kelly's stand in the lyrics of "Stealing In The Name Of The Lord", another of his songs, "God Can", been recorded by the Staple Singers, the Mighty Clouds Of Joy
and Dorothy Norwood
. Mavis Staples
, also cut solo versions of Kelly's "We Got Love" and "I've Been To The Well Before" songs on her 1979 solo album, Oh What A Feeling (produced by Jerry Wexler
and Barry Beckett
).
, which reissued the Happy Tiger album in 1972 as Dirt, taking the name from the single, "(He Ain't Nothin' But) Dirt". Kelly's third Warner Bros. Records single, "Don't Burn Me" (1972), was also a minor hit. It was followed by an album of the same name.
A 1974 single, "Hooked, Hogtied & Collared" was his second biggest self-recorded hit, and it too inspired an album by the same name, with controversial artwork — a drawing depicting bondage
.
With disco on the rise, Warner Bros. Records forced out Kelly's preferred producer, Buddy Killen. Kelly recorded with Gene Page
(Barry White
's co-arranger), but the material was never released. These events signalled a more general disagreement between Kelly and his record company, and the relationship was terminated. After a single for Epic Records
, "Everybody Got A Jones"/"Shake Your Mind", Kelly decided to concentrate on songwriting and production. He has not performed live since 1977.
At around this time, Kelly also wrote a song called "Personally", which he gave to Jackie Moore. Although it was not a major hit for her, Karla Bonoff
recorded the song in 1982, and gained a #19 pop hit. (Country singer Ronnie McDowell
has also scored a top ten country hit with the song and Kelly recorded "Personally" on his 1993 Gonna Stick And Stay album.)
In 1983, Kelly started his own independent label, Laurence Records, using the pseudonym "Laurence Dunbar". The label had a minor hit with "Bring It On Home To Me", sung by Carol Dennis and written and produced by Kelly, in 1984/85. (He wound up the label in 1991.)
In the late 1980s, Kelly and his family moved from Brooklyn to Ruby, South Carolina
, which was considered a better place to raise a family. Kelly continued to send out demos to labels.
In 1994, he suffered a heart failure and another in 1995, as well as a stroke. His vocal range suffered as a result of his health problems, which also caused Kelly to become a vegetarian.
Warner Bros. Records issued a Best Of Paul Kelly as part of their Warner Archives CD series, in 1996.
In 1998, with Marion Carter co-producing, Kelly recorded a new album, Let's Celebrate Life, in South Carolina, for the local label Ripete Records. It included a remake of "Stealing In The Name Of The Lord".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
. He is best known for the soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
songs "Stealing in the Name of the Lord", which was a major hit in 1970, and "Hooked, Hogtied & Collared". He also wrote "Personally", which has been widely-covered
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
, and was a hit for soul singer Jackie Moore, as well as country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
singers Karla Bonoff
Karla Bonoff
Karla Bonoff is an American singer-songwriter, primarily known for her songwriting.As a songwriter, Bonoff's songs have been interpreted by other artists such as "Home" by Bonnie Raitt, "Tell Me Why" by Wynonna Judd, and "Isn't It Always Love" by Lynn Anderson...
and Ronnie McDowell
Ronnie McDowell
Ronald Dean "Ronnie" McDowell is an American country music artist. He made his debut in 1977 with the song "The King Is Gone", a tribute to Elvis Presley, who had died not long before the single's release. From that single onward, McDowell has charted more than thirty Top 40 hits on the Billboard...
. Other songs have been covered by gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
artists, including the Mighty Clouds Of Joy
Mighty Clouds of Joy
The Mighty Clouds of Joy is an American gospel quartet.-Career:The Mighty Clouds of Joy were formed in 1960 and started out in a tradition-based style. Eventually they added soul, R&B, and rock flourishes into their musical mix without diluting the essential religious essence of their material...
and The Staple Singers
The Staple Singers
The Staple Singers were an American gospel, soul, and R&B singing group. Roebuck "Pops" Staples , the patriarch of the family, formed the group with his children Cleotha , Pervis , Yvonne , and Mavis...
.
Early life
Kelly was born in Overtown Miami, FloridaMiami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
, the fourth of six siblings. Kelly was brought up by his grandmother. In about 1956, Kelly's brother Henry formed a vocal group, with Paul as lead vocalist. It only lasted a few months, before Henry left Miami to go to college. Paul then formed a group with school friends from 20th Street School
Booker T. Washington High School (Miami)
Booker T. Washington High School is a secondary school located at 1200 NW 6th Avenue in Miami, Florida, USA. Booker T. is located in the Overtown neighborhood, and serves families in the Overtown, Downtown, Park West, and Omni neighborhoods. Its principal is William Aristide.Booker T. Washington...
— The Spades, later known as The Valadeers. Another member was Jimmy Cherry, who later sang with The Fantastics.
Solo career
In 1960, Kelly went left the group to go solo, recording the standard, "I'll String Along With You" for Dade Records, which was never released, following a dispute between Kelly and the label.A Miami-based singer/songwriter/producer, Clarence Reid
Blowfly (artist)
Blowfly is the stage name and alternate persona of Clarence Reid , who was a songwriter for many hit R&B acts in the 1960s and 1970s. As Blowfly, he has recorded numerous albums, mostly of sex-based parodies of other songs, as well as original raps themed around sex...
(who would later perform as Blowfly), heard Kelly rehearse, and asked him to fill in on lead vocals with his group, The Delmiros, whose lead singer had laryngitis. Kelly recorded a single, "Down With It, Can't Quit It"/"Sooner Or Later", which was released on Selma Records in 1963, under the name Clarence Reid & The Delmiros. Kelly began performing the song live in clubs and became associated with the song. Reid asked him to join The Delmiros on a permanent basis.
Kelly's official debut solo single appeared on the Lloyd label in 1965: "It's My Baby"/"The Upset" (inspired by the surprise boxing victory of Cassius Clay over Sonny Liston
Sonny Liston
Charles L. "Sonny" Liston was a professional boxer and ex-convict known for his toughness, punching power, and intimidating appearance who became world heavyweight champion in 1962 by knocking out Floyd Patterson in the first round...
.) A second single, "Chills And Fever" (written by Clarence Reid and Willie Clarke) was picked up by Dial Records
Dial Records (1964)
A second Dial Records label was a New Orleans soul label formed by Nashville-based song publisher/plugger/producer Buddy Killen in 1964.This label was formed specifically so Killen could record perhaps his best-known discovery, soul singer Joe Tex...
and distributed by Atlantic
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
. label for wider distribution. Relations between Kelly and Reid became strained. Nashville producer Buddy Killen
Buddy Killen
William Doyce “Buddy” Killen was a record producer and music publisher, and a former owner of Trinity Broadcasting Network, and the largest country music publishing business, before he sold it in 1989...
, who had also fallen out with Reid, approached Kelly about working together. Meanwhile, Lloyd Records issued an answer record, "Thrills And Chills", by Helene Smith. Kelly released a third single, "Since I Found You" under the name Paul Kelly & the Rocketeers.
After this, Kelly released four singles on Philips Records
Philips Records
Philips Records is a record label that was founded by Dutch electronics company Philips. It was started by "Philips Phonographische Industrie" in 1950. Recordings were made with popular artists of various nationalities and also with classical artists from Germany, France and Holland. Philips also...
, produced by Killen in Muscle Shoals
Muscle Shoals Sound Studio
The Muscle Shoals Sound Studio was formed in Muscle Shoals, Alabama,in 1969 when musicians Barry Beckett , Roger Hawkins , Jimmy Johnson and David Hood left FAME Studios to create their own studio...
, including a ballad, "Nine Out Of Ten Times" (writing credit: Kelly/Reid/Clarke). Meanwhile, Dial had released two singles by the highly-popular Joe Tex
Joe Tex
Joseph Arrington, Jr. , better known as "Joe Tex", was an American Southern soul singer-songwriter, most popular during the 1960s and 1970s...
, one of which ("We're Gonna Make It') was co-written with Kelly. At the time, Kelly often toured with and opened for Tex.
In 1967, Kelly decided to move to Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and invited a song-writing collaborator, Juanita Rogers, to join him. They became a couple and moved in together. Kelly cut some material for Stan Watson's Philly Groove label in 1968, but it remains unissued and he later described it as poor.
"Stealing in the Name of the Lord"
Kelly wrote "Stealing In The Name Of The Lord", with Sam & DaveSam & Dave
Sam & Dave were an American soul and rhythm and blues duo who performed together from 1961 through 1981. The tenor voice was Samuel David Moore , and the baritone/tenor voice was Dave Prater .Sam & Dave are members of...
in mind. However, Sam Moore, whom he had known in Miami, rejected it.
The song, whose title references "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone
Papa Was a Rollin' Stone
"Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" is a soul song, written by Motown songwriters Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong as a single for Motown act The Undisputed Truth in 1971...
", tackles the hypocrisy of some church
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
leaders. It includes the lines:
- Oh, oh, oh.
- It's happenin' every day.
- This man, he'll walk,
- Up to ya,
- And look ya in the eye,
- Put his hand,
- On your shoulder,
- And tell ya,
- A big fat lie.
- He'll tell ya,
- God's gonna bless ya, children,
- If you put your faith in me.
- Huh!
Kelly later commented: "that's been my way of thinking all the time. Thinking about what's wrong with [the] church... And what they talk about and what they do are two different things..."
Kelly sold the rights to the song to Buddy Killen, and recorded it at Muscle Shoals. Killen got it released through the Hollywood-based Happy Tiger Records
Happy Tiger Records
Happy Tiger Records was an independent American record label that was owned by the Flying Tiger Line air freight company. Happy Tiger only operated from 1969 to 1971, but during this time managed to produce more than two dozen albums by such notable artists as Count Basie, Mason Proffit, Red...
. However, R&B radio stations were worried that the song would offend sponsors, such as those on gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
shows. The record was consequently slow to take off.
Around the same time, Annette Snell
Annette Snell
Annette Snell was a rhythm and blues singer, born in Miami and died in Georgia on April 4, 1977, in the Southern Airways Flight 242 crash.Annette Snell was first a member of the girl group The Fabulettes. In 1968, Annette left the group to go to New York and pursue a solo career...
, under the name Annetta, released a single written by Kelly, who assisted on backing vocals, called "Since There Is No More Of You'.
The breakthrough came when Jerry "Swamp Dogg" Williams Jr.
Swamp Dogg
Jerry Williams, Jr., , is a soul music artist who is better known by his pseudonym Swamp Dogg.Born in Portsmouth, Virginia, Williams made his first recording in 1954 under the moniker "Little Jerry", a 78 rpm single on the Mechanic label titled "HTD Blues" / "Nats Wailing"...
, who was about to visit Baltimore to promote his own productions, persuaded Kelly to come with him. They visited a WWIN
WWIN (AM)
WWIN is an Urban Gospel formatted radio station in Baltimore, Maryland, USA.-External links:*...
radio DJ, Rockin' Robin. Although Kelly was now trying to push the b-side, "The Day After Forever", Rockin' Robin liked "Stealing In The Name Of The Lord" so much, that he played it several times in a row. Kelly recalled: "everybody started calling in and I never looked back after that." The single first appeared on the Cashbox R&B charts on June 13, 1970 and in Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
a week later. It peaked at #5 (Cashbox) and #14 Billboard.
The song also became popular in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
's Northern Soul
Northern soul
Northern soul is a music and dance movement that emerged from the British mod scene, initially in northern England in the late 1960s. Northern soul mainly consists of a particular style of black American soul music based on the heavy beat and fast tempo of the mid-1960s Tamla Motown sound...
club scene. (In the 1980s it became the basis for a song of the same name by an English post-punk
Post-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
band, Yeah Yeah Noh
Yeah Yeah Noh
Yeah Yeah Noh were a post-punk group formed in Leicester, England in 1984. They released two albums and five singles while still together, and have had two compilation albums issued since they split in 1986.-Biography:...
.)
Despite Kelly's stand in the lyrics of "Stealing In The Name Of The Lord", another of his songs, "God Can", been recorded by the Staple Singers, the Mighty Clouds Of Joy
Mighty Clouds of Joy
The Mighty Clouds of Joy is an American gospel quartet.-Career:The Mighty Clouds of Joy were formed in 1960 and started out in a tradition-based style. Eventually they added soul, R&B, and rock flourishes into their musical mix without diluting the essential religious essence of their material...
and Dorothy Norwood
Dorothy Norwood
Dorothy Norwood is an American gospel singer. She began touring with her family at the age of eight, and in 1956, began singing with Mahalia Jackson. In the early 1960s she was a member of ]The Caravans, and in 1964, she embarked on a solo career, recording her first album, Johnny and Jesus...
. Mavis Staples
Mavis Staples
Mavis Staples is an American rhythm and blues and gospel singer, actress and civil rights activist who recorded with The Staple Singers, her family's band.-Biography:...
, also cut solo versions of Kelly's "We Got Love" and "I've Been To The Well Before" songs on her 1979 solo album, Oh What A Feeling (produced by Jerry Wexler
Jerry Wexler
Gerald "Jerry" Wexler was a music journalist turned music producer, and was regarded as one of the major record industry players behind music from the 1950s through the 1980s...
and Barry Beckett
Barry Beckett
Barry Edward Beckett was a keyboardist who worked as a session musician with several notable artists on their studio albums...
).
The 1970s and '80s
In the wake of Kelly's major hit, Happy Tiger quickly released an album and three singles, but the label was in financial trouble and went out of business in 1971. Kelly was signed by Warner Bros. RecordsWarner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
, which reissued the Happy Tiger album in 1972 as Dirt, taking the name from the single, "(He Ain't Nothin' But) Dirt". Kelly's third Warner Bros. Records single, "Don't Burn Me" (1972), was also a minor hit. It was followed by an album of the same name.
A 1974 single, "Hooked, Hogtied & Collared" was his second biggest self-recorded hit, and it too inspired an album by the same name, with controversial artwork — a drawing depicting bondage
Bondage (BDSM)
Bondage is the use of restraints for the sexual pleasure of the parties involved. It may be used in its own right, as in the case of rope bondage and breast bondage, or as part of sexual activity or BDSM activity.- Private bondage :...
.
With disco on the rise, Warner Bros. Records forced out Kelly's preferred producer, Buddy Killen. Kelly recorded with Gene Page
Gene Page
Eugene Edgar "Gene" Page, Jr. was an influential conductor, composer, arranger and record producer most active from the mid-1960s through the mid-1980s....
(Barry White
Barry White
Barry White, born Barry Eugene Carter , was an American composer and singer-songwriter.A five-time Grammy Award-winner known for his distinctive bass voice and romantic image, White's greatest success came in the 1970s as a solo singer and with the Love Unlimited Orchestra, crafting many enduring...
's co-arranger), but the material was never released. These events signalled a more general disagreement between Kelly and his record company, and the relationship was terminated. After a single for Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
, "Everybody Got A Jones"/"Shake Your Mind", Kelly decided to concentrate on songwriting and production. He has not performed live since 1977.
At around this time, Kelly also wrote a song called "Personally", which he gave to Jackie Moore. Although it was not a major hit for her, Karla Bonoff
Karla Bonoff
Karla Bonoff is an American singer-songwriter, primarily known for her songwriting.As a songwriter, Bonoff's songs have been interpreted by other artists such as "Home" by Bonnie Raitt, "Tell Me Why" by Wynonna Judd, and "Isn't It Always Love" by Lynn Anderson...
recorded the song in 1982, and gained a #19 pop hit. (Country singer Ronnie McDowell
Ronnie McDowell
Ronald Dean "Ronnie" McDowell is an American country music artist. He made his debut in 1977 with the song "The King Is Gone", a tribute to Elvis Presley, who had died not long before the single's release. From that single onward, McDowell has charted more than thirty Top 40 hits on the Billboard...
has also scored a top ten country hit with the song and Kelly recorded "Personally" on his 1993 Gonna Stick And Stay album.)
In 1983, Kelly started his own independent label, Laurence Records, using the pseudonym "Laurence Dunbar". The label had a minor hit with "Bring It On Home To Me", sung by Carol Dennis and written and produced by Kelly, in 1984/85. (He wound up the label in 1991.)
In the late 1980s, Kelly and his family moved from Brooklyn to Ruby, South Carolina
Ruby, South Carolina
Ruby is a town in Chesterfield County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 348 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Ruby is located at ....
, which was considered a better place to raise a family. Kelly continued to send out demos to labels.
Return to recording
Kelly recorded an album, Gonna Stick And Stay, in New Orleans in July-August 1992.In 1994, he suffered a heart failure and another in 1995, as well as a stroke. His vocal range suffered as a result of his health problems, which also caused Kelly to become a vegetarian.
Warner Bros. Records issued a Best Of Paul Kelly as part of their Warner Archives CD series, in 1996.
In 1998, with Marion Carter co-producing, Kelly recorded a new album, Let's Celebrate Life, in South Carolina, for the local label Ripete Records. It included a remake of "Stealing In The Name Of The Lord".