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Artist
Pat Kelley
12+ albums
world guitar
about
“The first time I heard a guitar it must have sent a message to my brain that I would have a lifelong love affair with the instrument. I cannot remember when I did not play the guitar or call myself a guitarist. Perhaps a past-life experience taught me to have a sense of melody, phrasing and rhythm from the onset because I could always play and follow along with other players even from a very early age”. This is how Pat recalls his early beginnings. His Dad played the guitar around the house and often had other guitarists join him in jam sessions where Pat was able to soak up the sound. The ‘50s and ‘60s were a good time to be immersed in music in Tulsa, Oklahoma where he grew up. “Dad’s old 5-tube Bendix radio constantly played the hits of the country and early pop hit parade.” Tulsa also had many local bands playing great songs from all kinds of genres. Chet Atkins, The Ventures, Les Paul, Elvis Presley, Patsy Cline, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Albert King, Johnny Cash, Buck Owens, Roy Orbison, and everything in between, seemed to be alive and well. Bob Wills’ legendary western swing music, blended with the blues, had a profound influence on the Tulsa music sound, and on Pat’s guitar style. Forming his first band when he was twelve years old, Pat played in bands consistently into adulthood. Discovering jazz at an early age via Wes Montgomery, Johnny Smith, and Howard Roberts set him on a course to pursue jazz guitar and studio work by the time he moved to C
