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Go To Kelly Videography With YouTube

Who Is The Kelly Family?
Rocking us for 30 years!

Welcome to our history section!
Here you can read about the Kelly's history from the beginning until now.
If you are new to the family, the video's would be the best choice, (Found On Main Page)
then maybe you could continue to delve into their music and culture by reading the rest :)

The history of the Kelly Family must be one of the most unusual band biographies there is...

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The group had its origins in May 1965 when Daniel Kelly Sr. and his first wife Joanne left their native United States with their children Danny, Caroline, Kathy and Paul, and settled in Spain where Daniel opened an antique shop. Kelly and his wife Joanne separated, with Joanne returning to the US, and Kelly entering a relationship with Barbara Ann Suokko, who he was to marry in 1970.

Daniel Kelly and Barbara had eight children, with the eldest, John born in 1967 and the youngest, Angelo, in 1981. The children were home-schooled and given lessons in music and dance.

Here is a very old video of The Kelly Kids practicing singing "Amazing Grace" - as you can see, they are very young! --
Then in 1978 they toured again in their hallmark double decker bus. Daniel Kelly and Barbara joined the children for performances, Barbara often performing with a baby in her arms.

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Barbara Kelly, with son Paddy
They landed a record contract in Germany in 1979. Their first major chart hit came in 1980 with the song "Who'll Come With Me (David's Song)" which hit number 1 in the Netherlands and Belgium and was top 20 in Germany.

And here it is! The epic "Who'll Come With Me"  (Sung by John Kelly) that actually made the charts in Belgium....and top 20 in GERMANY!
The Kelly Family continued recording and performing, both together and as individuals.
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On their tour bus, where they lived for a short while.
In the 1990s, the group enjoyed their biggest success. Their 1994 album Over the Hump sold more than 3.5 million copies in Germany alone (the biggest selling pop album in German history), and 4.5 million copies throughout Europe.
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To promote the album, they played a concert to a Vienna audience of 250,000, in 1995. In the same year they filled the Westfalenhalle, Dortmund, nine times in a row, a feat no other musician has since accomplished.

Here is "Father's  Nose" (Sung by Kathy Kelly) taken directly from "Over The Hump" featuring Vienna, and the 250,000 or so people...

Success continued until they started to disagree on a professional basis at the beginning of the year 2000. Fan interest prompted a comeback with gigs in Germany in 2007, and the rest is literally history in the making!

So, that should have got you a little further with this band called The Kelly Family, but is that it?....chuckles...oh no. There is 30 years of music you haven't even seen!

We invite you to explore or "Videography" section, as well as the "Band Members" Page to get a more exclusive bio on each individual member.

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All biography info via wikipedia.com - Kelly Evolution 2010
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Moving On...


In 1974 four of the older children, Caroline, Kathy, Paul and John, formed a band, The Kelly Kids, at first busking 
, then performing at parties and local events. They became well-known enough that they appeared on Spanish television in 1975.

This is their first appearance on stage ever.
The band was joined by the younger members of the family as they matured and learned to play musical instruments. (Their eldest brother Daniel Jerome Jr. suffered intellectual disability and did not participate in the family's musical performances.

The band's popularity increased in Spain, with several performances on television and in circuses. In 1976 they went on tour as The Kelly Family, in Italy, Germany and Holland, followed by Ireland in 1977.

This is is their first performance in Ireland 1977
Barbara Kelly died of breast cancer in 1982, shortly after the birth of the youngest child, Angelo. Her last words to her family were "Keep on singing!"
Here is the video "Amazing Grace" which is pretty well known among Kelly fans, because of the sadness in young Paddy Kelly's voice, due to the loss of his mother. (Also singing with Paddy, Kathy Kelly)
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The band continued to record, Daniel Kelly having formed his own recording company in 1981. As the older members of the family reached adulthood, Caroline and Paul left the band and both married.
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Dan with his children, Maite, Paddy & Angelo
In 1990 Daniel Kelly suffered a stroke. However, he remained a leading figure in the group until his death in 2002.
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In 1996 they headlined their first Stadium Tour, filling some of Europe's largest venues. They also got a rare chance to play in Beijing, China, in front of 20,000 people. In 1998 they bought a castle, Schloss Gymnich, on the Rhine near Cologne, Germany.

Here they are on TV in China.