The Kelly Family

The Kelly Family
The Kelly Family (2002)
General information
Genre (s)	Pop , folk , pop-rock
founding	1974
Website	www.kellyfamily.de
Current occupation
Vocals, accordion, keyboard, violin, guitar	Kathy Kelly
Singing, hurdy-gurdy, flute	Paul Kelly
Vocals, percussion, guitar, harp, bombo, keyboard	Patricia Kelly
Vocals, guitar, bass	Joey Kelly
Vocals, guitar, bass, drums, piano, harp	John Kelly
Vocals, guitar, bass, drums, accordion	Jimmy Kelly
former members
Vocals, guitar, keyboard, bass, drums, accordion	Paddy Kelly (until 2004)
Guitar, penny whistle, vocals	Adam Kelly
Singing, congas, guitar, dance	Barby Kelly (until 2002)
Vocals, bass, percussion	Maite Kelly (until 2008)
Vocals, accordion	Caroline Kelly (until 1980)
Singing, bombo	Dan Kelly (until 1990)
Song, dance	Barbara-Ann Kelly (until 1982)
Vocals, drums, bass, guitar	Angelo Kelly (until 2020)

The Kelly Family is a musical group made up of members of the extended Kelly family . Her music style is located in the areas of folk , pop and pop-rock . Her repertoire includes English, but also German, French and Spanish-language titles. After the siblings first appeared as Kelly Kids from 1974 onwards, they traveled through the USA and Europe under the name The Kelly Family from 1978 and played numerous free concerts in public places and in pedestrian zones as street musicians.

With Who'll Come with Me (David's Song) , the group achieved their first # 1 hit in Belgium and the Netherlands in 1980. Her final breakthrough came with her album Over the Hump , released in 1994 , which sold around 2.5 million times in Germany alone and was awarded gold nine times . With the single An Angel composed by Paddy Kelly , the nine-member Kelly Family stayed in the German charts for a year. The family attracted attention mainly because of their hippie- like appearance and their alternative lifestyle, which was characterized by numerous trips and changes of residence as well as by atypical residential accommodation. The family lived in a VW T1 , in a double-decker bus , on a houseboat and at Gymnich Castle .

By 2006, the Kelly Family had been awarded 48 gold and platinum records. In addition, she has received several awards from the German music and media industry, including the Bambi (1995), the Golden Europe (1995 and 1997), the Echo (1996) and the Golden Camera (1998).

The group sold around 20 million records, two million videos and DVDs and enjoyed success across Europe, Brazil, South Africa and China. From the turn of the millennium, the nine-member cast that was present in the 1990s gradually broke up; since then she has been making music in varying constellations. At the same time, the members began to focus more on their own projects. After a break of several years, six family members started a comeback in 2017, at the concerts Paul Kelly was also present as a “special guest”.

Career

Starting a family

The family man Daniel Jerome "Dan" Kelly was born on October 11, 1930 in Erie , Michigan . He was a descendant of Irish immigrants , the result of the in Ireland prevailing famine in 1850 after New York City had emigrated and from there to the West. Kelly was first a member of the Jesuit order and had studied religious studies in Rome for four years before he began studying mathematics and philosophy and was employed as a teacher at a high school in Michigan. In 1957 he married his first wife Janice (1935-2018).

Because he was critical of the consumer -oriented way of life of the Americans and the state school system , he decided before his four children started compulsory schooling: Daniel "Danny" (1958–2017), Caroline (* 1962), Kathy (* 1963) and Paul ( * 1964) to return to Europe . In 1966 the family moved to Gamonal in the Spanish province of Toledo . There she lived on a self-sufficient basis in a sparsely furnished house without heating and running warm water. Supported by the American dancer Barbara-Ann Suokko (1946–1982), who had been a domestic servant with childcare since she was 18, Daniel Kelly financed his living as an antique dealer. A love relationship developed from the collaboration. In March 1967, their son John was born in Talavera de la Reina, their first child together. In November 1969, daughter Patricia followed . After this birth, the couple Daniel and Joanne Kelly divorced. On November 6, 1970, Barbara-Ann Suokko and Daniel Kelly married in New York. With their sons Jimmy (* 1971) and Joey (* 1972), the family moved to Belascoáin, Spain near Pamplona in 1973 . In Pamplona, ​​Daniel Kelly ran the artists' pub La Viana for a year . The children did not attend a conventional school and grew up without television, radio and telephone. Their mother gave them ballet and a neighbor gave them music lessons. They first learned to play the accordion , banjo and piano . Kathy Kelly was also trained on the violin , Paul Kelly on the saxophone .

1974–1978: Street music as Kelly Kids

Inspired by the folkloric traditions of the country, the children began to make music on the village streets in 1974. On the Plaza Mayor in Madrid they played their first street concert in front of a large crowd. Under the name The Kelly Kids , appearances at birthdays, weddings and local festivals in the Basque Country followed before Spanish television became aware of them in 1975 and the family appeared on a children's program. In April of the same year, daughter Barby was born. After the group's VW T1 had been robbed down to its passports and instruments during a stay in Rome in 1976, the parents traveled with their children through Italy in that minibus without a permanent residence and played on the streets there to earn money . A little later, the father accepted the invitation of the violinist Thomas Christian, who worked at the Vienna Conservatory , to give the then 13-year-old Kathy Kelly free violin lessons. In Vienna Daniel Kelly made friends with Bernhard Paul , co-founder and director of Circus Roncalli . The family then appeared in the evening performances for a season without a fee, making music on a big stage for the first time. In 1977 the family traveled through Ireland, where, among other things, they produced the MC Kelly Family Tours Europe and sold them as part of their street concerts. After their son Paddy was born in Dublin in December 1977 , the family appeared on a high-rated Irish television show with the Christmas carol Jingle Bells . In 1978 Daniel Kelly bought an English double-decker bus that had been in service on regular London services since 1956 . The optical feature was the self-designed and still existing band logo, with which the bus was labeled on both sides. Just like the VW T1 previously used, this bus served as accommodation for the family. Initially housed for half a year in the former Stollwerck chocolate factory in Cologne, the family then moved to southern Germany. In Stuttgart, John and Patricia Kelly attended the John Cranko Ballet School .

1979–1981: First record deal and number 1 hit

Discovered by Andreas Thiesmeyer during a street concert, the band received their first recording contract with Polydor in 1979 and settled on a campsite in Hamburg . In the NDR entertainment show Current Schaubude , the underage siblings performed with the Irish ballad Danny Boy and became known to a larger audience. Within a year, the family made guest appearances on around 40 other television programs. She presented, among others, Vico Torriani in his folklore show Music Knows No Borders in May 1979 with the German folk tune Muss i denn, muss i denn out to the city center . This was followed by the release of the long-playing records The Kelly Family , Songs of the World and A Bird Can't Fly in a Cage , on which the family interpreted other traditional, international folk, children's and Christmas songs. The family showed themselves in their appearances in rural, antiquated clothing. Daughter Maite was born in West Berlin in December 1979 .

With Who'll Come with Me (David's Song) , the Kelly Family recorded their first number one hit in 1980 in the Netherlands and Belgium. In Germany, the title composed by Vladimir Cosma for the four-part television series Die Abenteuer des David Balfour reached 15th place and stayed in the German charts for twenty weeks. The text was by Dan Kelly. That same year she appeared with All children need friends in the ZDF telecast Grand Prix on. Daniel Kelly rejected the record company's marketing idea of ​​turning the then 12-year-old lead singer John into a solo star. Because he felt too restricted in his artistic freedom, he also decided not to extend his contract. Instead, he produced two self-directed records in the Netherlands, Christmas All Year and Wonderful World . As a result of a lack of commitment, the family lived on the verge of subsistence and spent several months on a farm in the Black Forest . The film recordings made there appeared as a documentary on VHS cassette under the title A Long Time Ago with Mom .

1981–1994: Street music in the USA and Europe

Jimmy, Patricia, Paddy, Kathy and John Kelly busking, 1989

After the mother was diagnosed with advanced breast cancer , the family returned to Belascoáin, Spain, in 1981. At the time of diagnosis of pregnant, Barbara-Ann Kelly declined chemotherapy . Eleven months after the birth of her son Angelo , she died in November 1982 at the age of 36 as a result of her illness. Two weeks before her death, the recordings for Christmas All Year , a video for her Christmas album of the same name, were made. After the death of her mother, daughter Caroline left the band and started working as a nurse in the USA. Daniel Kelly moved to Paris with the remaining children in 1983 and lived there for three years in a desolate hotel in a socially deprived area of ​​the capital. In summer the children made music on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées and at the Center Georges-Pompidou , and in the winter months in the Métro . For the first time they used microphones and generators for their performances. Discovered by producer Eddie Barclay , the family released the single and album of the same name in France, Une Famille C'est Une Chanson, on Barclay Records and appeared on national television programs. Because the French authorities put pressure on Daniel Kelly in view of the children's obligation to attend school and he feared that his custody would be withdrawn, he fled to the USA in 1986. There the family toured 20 states. Paul Kelly stayed in France and trained as a chef there.

The Kelly Family houseboat

Back to Germany via France, Daniel Kelly founded the independent label KEL-Life GmbH in 1988 , on which all subsequent albums were released. The family thus retained all rights to their titles. After initially playing in their own tent, the Kelly Family held concerts for the first time in 1988 in the sold-out Philipshalle in Düsseldorf and in the Grugahalle in Essen, where the album and video were produced live . In 1989 Daniel Kelly bought a 34 m long boat in the Netherlands, built in 1929, which he renovated and transferred to the port of Mülheim (Cologne) . The family named it after their great grandfather, Sean O'Kelley. The album Keep on Singing and the video clip for the single of the same name were created on this boat, which also served as new accommodation with 14 cabins, a ballet hall and a recording studio . In 1989 the family first appeared on East German television in the Saturday evening show Ein Kessel Buntes . Ten days before the fall of the Berlin Wall , GDR television dedicated a special program to them, which was recorded in Cottbus and was released on VHS tape in 1996 under the title Live in East Germany . The program included a 17-track concert; Several of their music teachers appeared as guest musicians, including the Indonesian percussionist Nippy Noya and the Spanish flamenco guitarist Carlos Itoiz. After the production of the album New World , father Daniel Kelly suffered a stroke in 1990 that paralyzed his right side and prevented him from participating in the following tours.

From 1983 to 1994 the Kelly Family played numerous free street concerts in the USA and especially in Europe, most recently about three events per day. As a rule, she organized her appearances in public places and in pedestrian zones, the construction and dismantling of her stage, which she had been using since 1991, and the sale of her self-produced albums on her own. From 1991 they were accompanied by four roadies . According to the image of street passers-by, the audience was broad and encompassed all generations and social classes. The number of concert-goers increased steadily, the level of awareness grew. The album Honest Workers was released in 1991 and the album Street Life in 1992 . The video of the same name, which shows a family concert recorded in the winter of 1992 at Alexanderplatz in Berlin , was published the following year.

1994–1999: Commercial breakthrough and zenith of success

According to their own account, the Kelly Family sold around 250,000 records from their 1993 album Wow . For the first time, in August of the same year, the youth magazine BRAVO reported with a double page about the musicians, and in November 1993 a feature was broadcast on Bravo TV . The nine siblings performed their single Key to My Heart in January 1994 as part of the first Bravo Super Show in Berlin's Deutschlandhalle . More street concerts followed in the Ruhr area before the family played for the first time in May 1994 in Dortmund's Westfalenhalle in front of a sold-out house. The recording of the event and a backstage special were subsequently released on three VHS cassettes under the title Tough Road 1–3 .

With the aim of offering their current album Over the Hump not only on the street, but also in regular stores, the family signed a distribution agreement with edel company . The album published in this way was the final commercial breakthrough for the musicians in September 1994. Over the Hump reached the top of the charts in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. With around 2.5 million copies, it is the Kelly Family’s best-selling album in Germany and has been awarded platinum four times. It stayed in the German hit list for 110 weeks, including 51 weeks in the top 10. The single An Angel , which was released in October 1994 and composed for his mother by Paddy Kelly at the age of 15, reached number two in Germany and Switzerland as well as number one in Austria. The clip for this title was the band's first to be broadcast on the music channel VIVA . The ongoing reporting in the youth press, in particular, led to widespread euphoria among mainly young girls from the enthusiasm of the street passers-by. The then 16-year-old Paddy and his 12-year-old brother Angelo, who were also the lead singer of the hit single, rose to become teen idols and became the focus of public interest. Angelo Kelly was at the time before the change of voice .

The main optical characteristics were the hip-length hair and the unusual clothing style of the members. The siblings were initially in rural, later in hippie-like robes and costumes in which they flea markets , in antique shops, thrift stores or in the theater fund had acquired. After the hysteria of the fans had reached alarming proportions, the band was no longer able to continue their street and later tent concerts for safety reasons. Towards the end of 1994, it relocated its appearances exclusively to halls and stadiums with the appropriate capacity and equipment. In December 1994, the band released the Christmas album Christmas for All , on which Angelo Kelly interpreted the first number 1 hit Who'll Come with Me (David's Song) after his brothers John (1980) and Paddy (1990) . It reached number two in the German charts.

In 1995, the group managed to play nine evenings in front of a sold-out house in Dortmund's Westfalenhalle. As part of the European Youth Meeting in 1995, the siblings sang for Pope John Paul II in Loreto . In August 1995, Premiere broadcast one of their concerts from the Loreley open-air theater live on television, the recording was then released on VHS tape. The family made their biggest appearance at the Danube Island Festival in Vienna in 1995 in front of 250,000 people. To protect their privacy, the group had a wall built around their houseboat in Cologne harbor that same year, as crowds of fans stayed overnight on the premises and tried to penetrate the boat. The wall, which was then inscribed with numerous declarations of love, subsequently became a place of pilgrimage for fans. The ongoing euphoria on the one hand and letter and bomb threats from opponents on the other required personal protection by security forces for years. In December , Sat.1 broadcast a one-and-a-half-hour television special under the title Christmas for All , in which the siblings interpreted traditional Christmas carols and were accompanied by guest musicians such as BAP , Johnny Logan and Gwen .

In March 1996, the then President of the Cologne District, Franz-Josef Antwerpes, caused a sensation when he tried to force Angelo, then 14, to attend a public school. In February, however, his authority had already announced in writing that it would agree to the “premature end of compulsory schooling”.

Gymnich Castle

In the spring, the Kelly Family went on tour through numerous German stadiums with an audience capacity of around 40,000 people per evening. The group signed a new distribution agreement with EMI . The single I Can't Help Myself , composed by Angelo Kelly , became the Kelly Family’s most successful title to date, with number 1 placements in eight countries, including Norway, Switzerland and the Netherlands. It was also the first title that Angelo Kelly interpreted as lead singer after changing his voice. In autumn 1996 the family moved into a villa in the southern Irish port city of Cobh . In November of the same year she released the album Almost Heaven , which stayed at the top of the German charts for six weeks. In addition, the single God your children , a German version of the original song God Help the Outcasts , was released on the occasion of the theatrical release of The Hunchback of Notre Dame . The video clip was shown in the credits of the movie. Under the title Crossroads , the Kelly Family presented the songs of their album as well as traditional music and dances from Ireland in another special broadcast on Sat.1. After further tours through sold out halls and stadiums in Europe, the album Growin 'Up was released in November 1997 , which, like its two predecessors, reached the highest chart position. Around 200 people worked for KEL-Life GmbH during this time .

In 1998 the family acquired the former federal government guest house at Gymnich Castle and used it as their main residence. From then on, hordes of young girls stayed overnight in the surrounding area. Before the release of the studio album From Their Hearts , Jimmy Kelly had his waist-length hair cut and left the band for a short time. Adam Kelly, a family cousin, temporarily took his place. On the occasion of the Kosovo war , the group released the charity single The Children of Kosovo in June 1999 , which made it into the top ten. As part of the Michael Jackson and Friends festival that same month, they appeared as guests in the Munich Olympic Park . In the German version of the US 50-part fantasy series Mystic Knights , which was broadcast on Super RTL from August 1999 , the Kelly Family sang the theme song of the same name.

2000s: upheaval

Patricia Kelly (2002)

With Patricia, Jimmy, Joey, Paddy, Maite and Angelo, only six of the nine band members in the 1990s were on stage together as of 2000. Daniel Kelly, who suffered a second stroke in 1999, tried to sell the castle again in the same year after several children had moved out. In April 2002 they released La Patata, the first studio album since 1998. It rose to number 3 in the German charts. With the single I Wanna Be Loved composed by Maite Kelly , they competed in the preliminary round for the Eurovision Song Contest 2002 and finished fourth. Father Daniel Kelly died in August 2002 at the age of 71 from complications from a cerebral haemorrhage. After his death on August 5, 2002, the eight siblings and four half-siblings jointly inherited the castle. For a long time, the many co-owners were unable to agree on re-use or sale, although a co-owner under supervision in the USA did not simplify the process of agreement. In the meantime, the castle has been leased, with Joey Kelly being a partner. From 2005 to 2009 it was used as an upscale restaurant and hotel as well as an event location. Because of the disagreement of the many co-owners, Joey Kelly forced a foreclosure auction in early 2012, in which Joey Kelly was the only bidder for 1.7 million euros. Since it fell short of the set minimum bid, it was not sold for the time being. In July 2012 the entrepreneur Gerd Overlack auctioned the property.

Paddy Kelly (2002)

With the aim of combining music and arena art, the Kelly Family performed together with Circus Roncalli on around 20 evenings in Oberhausen and Berlin at the beginning of 2004 . The title of the program was Imagination Forbidden . From May to September 2004 the group was engaged in Phantasialand in Brühl . There they gave two hour-long concerts every Sunday in the Silverado Theater . In June 2004 the six siblings released the double album Homerun , which made it into the top ten of the German charts. Above all, the acoustic CD Home was received positively, the songs rated as "far away from the street singer image" and as "well thought out and grown-up". Under the title Who'll Come With Me , the family toured again from October 2005 to February 2006 with Circus Roncalli through Germany and Austria. In November 2005 the charity CD Hope was released with ten titles, the entire proceeds of which went to the St. John Children in Vilnius . Accompanied by their brother Paul, who had returned to the music business after about 20 years of abstinence from the stage, Patricia, Jimmy, Joey, Maite, Angelo and most recently Kathy Kelly played around 100 sold-out church concerts from mid-October 2006 as part of their Good News tour . The following year they continued the tour under the title More Good News . From December 2007 to January 2008, the Kelly Family gave almost 40 other performances with Circus Roncalli in Oldenburg and Münster.

With advancing age and the distance to the hysteria that arose in the mid-1990s, the siblings increasingly developed their individual styles after the death of their father, worked as solo artists and founded their own families. After Jimmy, Paddy Kelly had his long hair cut off in 2002. In addition, the siblings mostly appeared in everyday clothes. In retrospect, in various interviews at the beginning of the 2010s, they were critical of the dimensions of their popularity. The pressure associated with fame, the loss of private life and the restriction of freedom had led to health problems, interpersonal differences, anxiety disorders and depression in the family, among other things. Jimmy Kelly confirmed that he consumed alcohol and other drugs and attempted suicide during this time . Paddy Kelly, who lived in seclusion in a French monastery from 2004 to 2010, also reported that he was close to suicide. Patricia Kelly fell ill with spinal cord inflammation in the mid-1990s , which led to temporary symptoms of paralysis. Barby Kelly withdrew completely from the public. Joey Kelly emphasized that you only survived this hype as a family. Such a level of success is unhealthy.

2010-2016

After several years of absence from the stage, Paddy Kelly initiated the Christmas concert tour Silent Night in 2011 - a musical Christmas story that took him through Germany with his siblings Patricia, Paul, Kathy and Joey. They were supported by a narrator and an ensemble of actors and dancers. Part of the ticket proceeds went to the Bonifatiuswerk . A live CD and DVD were then released. In December of the following year, the five siblings continued the tour with twelve concerts and a similar concept. They were accompanied by the Russian sand painter Natalya Netselya ; in addition, the children of Patricia and Joey Kelly performed with smaller solos.

The Kelly Family houseboat and double-decker bus are located in the Technik Museum Speyer . The wall in the port of Cologne-Mülheim was painted with religious motifs and peace symbols on the occasion of the Iraq war in 2002 .

2017: comeback

In November 2016, Angelo announced on the NDR Talk Show that the Kelly Family would give a concert in Dortmund's Westfalenhalle on May 19, 2017 . Patricia, Kathy, Angelo, Jimmy, Joey, John and as a guest Paul Kelly took part in the comeback. Maite and "Paddy" were not there because they want to continue to concentrate on their solo careers. Due to the strong demand for tickets, two additional concerts were scheduled, which were also sold out. In March 2017 a new studio album entitled We Got Love was released. Before that, the single Nanana , a new edition from 1997, was released. The album entered the German album charts at number one . There was also first place in Austria, third place in Switzerland and tenth place in Poland.

Also in March 2017, the group had an appearance at the Schlager Countdown in the Weser-Ems-Halle in Oldenburg . At a concert in May, the Kelly Family was awarded a gold record for We Got Love . In October 2017 We Got Love: Live was released as a live album with two CDs, as a video album with two DVDs, as a Blu-ray and as a box set, each containing two CDs and DVDs. It shows recordings of the three concerts from Dortmund as well as a "making of" from the comeback as well as the two music videos for Nanana and Brothers and Sisters . In October 2017, the group was awarded platinum for We Got Love .

In October 2019 they released the album 25 Years Later , which reached number 2 in the German album charts. In December 2019 they gave another concert in Dortmund's Westfalenhalle.

In December 2019, Angelo Kelly announced in an interview that after the 25 years Over the Hump tour, which ended in Munich in February 2020, they would go their separate ways again. He is on tour with his live band Angelo Kelly & Family .

music

From 1974 to 1992, the Kelly Family mainly interpreted German and international folk songs such as Heidenröslein , Greensleeves and La Montanara , hymns such as Amazing Grace and Ave Maria , children's songs such as Old McDonald Had a Farm and pop songs by well-known artists, including Mull of Kintyre by the group Wings and What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong . They also interpreted the song by the Filipino musician Freddie Aquilar "Anak" (= child) with their own text ("All children need friends"). A characteristic feature of her music at the beginning of her career was the family choir that started in every song. Father Daniel Kelly often appeared as a narrator who did not sing the song verses but spoke. The dominant instruments included guitar, percussion, bombo, accordion, violin and saxophone.

With increasing age the children began to write their own songs, some of which found their way into the respective albums. Papa Cool, composed by Paddy, Barby and Maite, was released on the album New World in 1990 . Since the album Wow, which was released in 1993, the Kelly Family published sound carriers that contained songs composed exclusively by the members. Characteristic were family-friendly texts that dealt in particular with love, friendship, longing or farewell. As a rule, each member interpreted as a lead singer at least one song per album. During their performances, the group always sang live and played all instruments themselves except for the occasional guest musician.

Collaborations

In 1996, the Kelly Family took part in the title Weihnachtsnaach by BAP and Nina Hagen . In addition, she supported the German medieval rock band In Extremo several times . So Paddy Kelly sang along in the chorus of Küss Mich from the album Sieben . Joey and Angelo Kelly played in 2010 with In Extremo for RTL telecast The Ultimate Chart Show a cover of Kelly title Why Why Why one. Angelo also took over the drums because In Extremo was without a drummer at the time.

External perception

Public ridicule

The extravagant appearance of the band members, their alternative lifestyle, their music and the apparently healthy family cohesion polarized the public in the course of their commercial success and led critics to provocative, defamatory reporting with considerable scorn and ridicule. The group itself emphasized several times that it was a family like any other, in which disagreement, jealousy and quarrels arose. The life on the street, often glorified as romance by fans, was tough, especially for the older siblings. Beyond the youth press, the group was occasionally denigrated as a “singing collection of old clothes” and as a “hippie sect”. In addition, it was assumed that she was poorly hygienic and called her “dirty” and “shaggy”. Numerous comedians and presenters such as Harald Schmidt and Stefan Raab regularly referred to it in their programs. Like the group, their fan base has been exposed to ridicule. The former BMG boss and music manager Thomas M. Stein said at an edition of the ultimate chart show at the beginning of the 2000s that the Kelly Family was “a band with real musicians” in view of the malice that was often expressed towards the group.

Criticism of Daniel Kelly

Father Daniel Dan Kelly, who was addicted to alcohol until the late 1980s , was confronted early on in the tabloid press with the accusation of forcing his children to music out of financial interests. In the course of his success, the media repeatedly referred to him as a dictatorial patriarch, a “tyrant, tight-fisted and choleric”, who behaved too authoritarian towards his children. In addition, he was criticized for driving his children to success, denying them state schooling and thus depriving them of the opportunity to pursue a career outside of the music business. After his death, Jimmy Kelly confirmed in an interview with Beckmann (2002), among other things , that his single father was a very strict and dominant personality, but that he also embodied the character of a clown or a philosopher. He condemned that Daniel Kelly had been portrayed only negatively in the media. He showed courage by rejecting the state school system, implementing his own idea of ​​the upbringing and education of his children and allowing them an alternative life in freedom. He wanted his children to be enthusiastic about life and to bring them closer to people, countries and cultures. As a qualified teacher, he taught his children himself, but without ever having passed a state final examination.

The siblings confirmed that the individuality of each individual had been suppressed by the strictly regulated family coexistence and work. The father wanted to control everything with an "iron hand" and shield his children. Among other things, he refused all interview requests from the press. Only one editor of the youth magazine BRAVO was allowed to travel with the family and report on them. Since 1987 the qualified designer Thomas Stachelhaus has been working exclusively as a photographer for the family.

Family and band members

Overall, the musical Kelly Family includes the parents and eleven of a total of twelve siblings. Five of them are currently (as of July 2020) active. There are also guest musicians who musically support the Kelly Family. Although only one of the siblings was born in Ireland, all members are Irish citizens.

Daniel Jérôme "Dan" Kelly

Dan Kelly (born October 11, 1930 in Erie , Michigan ; † August 5, 2002 in Cologne) founded the band as a father in 1974 with seven of his future twelve children to date.

Barbara-Ann Kelly

Barbara-Ann Kelly, b. Suokko (born June 2, 1946 in Fitchburg , Massachusetts , † November 10, 1982 in Belascoáin, Spain) is the birth mother of eight of the twelve children and was, among other things, active as a dancer.

Daniel "Danny" Kelly Jr.

Danny Kelly (* July 2, 1958; † November 12, 2017) was never an active member of the band due to an intellectual disability, but traveled with the family until the early 1980s and then lived in the United States until his death.

Caroline Kelly

Caroline Kelly (* 1962 in Leominster , Massachusetts ) was actively involved from 1974 to 1982, now lives in the USA and works there as a nurse.

Kathleen Anne "Kathy" Kelly

Kathy Kelly, 2010

Kathy (born March 6, 1963 in Leominster, Massachusetts, USA) plays violin, accordion, guitar and keyboard in the band and was the producer and musical director of the family. She has released several solo albums since 1999 and performs solo or jointly with other musicians as part of aid projects and tours. She is divorced and the mother of a son born in 1992.

Paul Kelly

Paul Kelly, 2012

Paul (born March 16, 1964 in Leominster, Massachusetts) was a member of the Kelly Family in the beginning and played the violin and saxophone. In the mid-1980s he began training as a chef in Paris and left the band. Since October 2005 he has been on tour with his siblings again. He plays the hurdy-gurdy and the penny whistle .

John Kelly

John Michael (born Juan Miguel Suokko on March 8, 1967 in Talavera de la Reina ) played drums and guitar in the band. In addition, he was responsible for setting up and dismantling the stage, soundcheck, lighting and the family's video clips.

Patricia Kelly

Patricia Kelly

Patricia (born November 25, 1969 in Gamonal , Spain) plays guitar, percussion, harp and keyboard in the band Bombo . From 1992 she took over all business negotiations worldwide and acted as contact person for press and media.

Jimmy Kelly

Jimmy Kelly, 2009

Jimmy (born Victor James Kelly on February 18, 1971 in Gamonal) played drums, bass, guitar and accordion in the band. He has also directed several of the family's video clips.

Joey Kelly

Joey Kelly, 2011

Joey (* December 20, 1972 as José Maria Kelly in Gamonal, Spain) plays electric guitar, acoustic guitar and percussion instruments in the band and was responsible for the management and the tour organization in the family business.

Barby Kelly

Barbara Ann (born April 28, 1975 in Belascoáin , Spain) played percussion and guitar in the band . In 2000 she retired from the stage business. Although she was still on the album La Patata in 2002 , she no longer performed live. She is a special guest on Baby Smile's album We Got Love , and she can also be heard on Stand by Me .

Michael Patrick "Paddy" Kelly

Michael Patrick (born December 5, 1977 in Dublin ) has been the musical director of the Kelly Family since 1996 and plays guitar, keyboards, bass, drums, piano and accordion in the band. Since 2011 he has also been active as a solo artist.

Maite Kelly

Maite Kelly, 2011

Maite (born December 4, 1979 in Berlin ) played bass in the band . She has been working as a solo artist since 2007.

Angelo Kelly

Angelo Kelly, 2018

Angelo (born December 23, 1981 in Pamplona ) played drums in the band and was a master student of Billy Cobham from the age of 14 . From November 2015 he appeared again as Angelo Kelly & Family. In May 2020 he announced that he had left the band.

Discography

→ Main article : The Kelly Family / Discography

Studio albums

year	title	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes)				Remarks
		DE	AT	CH	UK
1977	Tours Europe	-	-	-	-	First published: 1977
1979	The Kelly Family	-	-	-	-	First published: 1979
	Lieder der Welt Engl. Edition: Songs of the World	DE- gold DE	-	-	-	First published: 1979 Sales: +350,000
1980	A bird cannot fly in a cage	-	-	-	-	First published: 1980
1981	Wonderful World	-	-	-	-	First publication: 1981
1984	Une famille c'est une chanson	-	-	-	-	First published: 1984
1989	Keep on Singing	-	-	-	-	First published: 1989
1990	New World	-	-	-	-	First published: September 1, 1990
1991	Honest workers	-	-	-	-	First publication: 1991
1993	Wow	-	-	-	-	First published: 1993
1994	Over the hump	DE1 × 9 Ninefold gold (111 weeks)DE	AT1 × 2 Double platinum (65 weeks)AT	CH1 × 2 Double platinum (70 weeks)CH	-	First published: September 5, 1994 Sales: + 2,750,000
1996	Almost Heaven	DE1 × 2 Double platinum (43 weeks)DE	AT1 × 2 Double platinum (16 weeks)AT	CH1 × 2 Double platinum (24 weeks)CH	-	First published: Oct 27, 1996 Sales: + 1,640,000
1997	Growin 'up	DE1 (19 weeks) DE	AT5 gold (16 weeks)AT	CH3 platinum (19 weeks)CH	-	First published: November 2nd, 1997 Sales: + 125,000
1998	From Their Hearts	DE3 (10 weeks) DE	AT14 (6 weeks) AT	CH12 (8 weeks) CH	-	First published: November 1, 1998
2002	La Patata	DE3 (6 weeks) DE	AT35 (3 weeks) AT	CH63 (4 weeks) CH	-	First published: April 7, 2002
2004	Home run	DE9 (5 weeks) DE	AT52 (1 week) AT	-	-	First published: June 6, 2004
2017	We got love	DE1 × 5 Quintuple gold (91 weeks)DE	AT1 gold (48 weeks)AT	CH3 (58 weeks) CH	-	First published: March 24, 2017 Sales: + 507,500
2019	25 years later	DE1 (... week) DE	AT1 (15 weeks) AT	CH2 (26 weeks) CH	-	First published: October 25, 2019

gray hatching : no chart data available for this year

Awards

Bambi 1995: in the category "Media and TV Prize from Hubert Burda Media " Bravo Otto 1995: "Gold" in the "Band Pop" category 1996: "Silver" in the "Band Pop" category 1997: "Silver" in the "Band Pop" category 1998: "Silver" in the "Band Pop" category 1999: "Gold" in the "Band" category 2000: "Gold" in the "Band Pop" category Comet 1995: in the category "Kellogg's video of the year" 1995: in the category "Starter of the Year" ECHO Pop 1996: in the category "International Group of the Year"

The one of the best 2018: in the category "Band of the Year" 2018: in the category "Comeback of the year" 2019: in the category "Platinum one of the best" ( We Got Love ) Golden Europe 1995: in the category "Pop Band" 1997: in the category "Pop Band" Golden hen 2017: Golden Hen in the category "Music" Golden camera 1998: in the category "Best Album" (Growin 'Up) Lion from Radio Luxembourg 1995: "Gold" in the "Music" category

literature

• Peter Wendling: The Kelly Family. Goldmann, Munich 1995, ISBN 3-442-43260-X .
• Marc Frohner: 40 years of The Kelly Family. The biography. Riva, Munich 2017, ISBN 978-3-7423-0400-1 .
• Jimmy Kelly: Street Kid. Blessings and blessings to be a Kelly. Heyne, Munich 2017, ISBN 978-3-453-20151-4 .
• Patricia Kelly: The sound of my life. Memories of stormy and sunny times. adeo Verlag (Gerth Medien), Asslar 2017, ISBN 978-3-86334-175-6 .

Web links

Commons : The Kelly Family  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Official website

Individual evidence

1. ^ Awards for Over the Hump musikindustrie.de, accessed on November 13, 2012
2. ↑ sonyatv.com
3. ↑ Official website of Bambi  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. accessed on December 27, 2012  
4. ↑ Official website of the Golden Camera: Prize Winners 1997 ( Memento of the original from December 26, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. accessed on December 27, 2012 
5. ↑ Manfred Hertlein Veranstaltungs GmbH ( Memento of the original from June 3, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. accessed on December 27, 2012 
6. ↑ Official website of the Echo Pop  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. accessed on December 27, 2012  
7. ↑ Kelly Family at Sony / ATV Music Publishing sonyatv.com, accessed November 13, 2012
8. ^ Documentation ancestors wanted , WDR television , broadcast on January 27, 2012
9. ↑ Interview with Angelo Kelly in Alpha and Omega magazine , 2008
10. ↑ Die Zeit , November 27, 1978
11. ↑ Radio report in Olis Abendshow , No. 26, December 19, 2007, transcript: Roncalli and Kelly-Family in Oldenburg , yourjournal.de
12. ↑ Joey Kelly in CHILI , ORF eins, May 23, 2011, 7: 45-8: 05 pm
13. ^ Houseboat Sean O'Kelley of the Kelly Family Technik Museum Speyer, accessed on November 13, 2012
14. ↑ Portrait Andreas Thiesmeyer equitypictures.de, called on November 13, 2012
15. ^ Vico Torriani TV ( Memento from June 3, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) fuenfzigerjahresaenger.de, accessed on November 13, 2012
16. ↑ Chart source Who'll Come with Me (David's Song) ( Memento of the original from April 9, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Musicline.de, accessed on November 13, 2012 
17. ^ Documentation ancestors wanted , WDR television, broadcast on January 27, 2012
18. ↑ Interview with Markus Lanz, 2011
19. ↑ Chart source Over the Hump ( memento of the original from January 24, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Musicline.de, accessed on November 13, 2012 
20. ↑ Chart source An Angel swisscharts.com, accessed on November 13, 2012
21. ↑ Chart source Christmas For All ( Memento of the original from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. musicline.de, accessed on November 13, 2012 
22. ↑ Press release of the Westfalenhalle May 30, 2007, accessed on November 13, 2012
23. ↑ Radio interview with Patricia Kelly on WDR 2 Montalk on November 23, 2009
24. ↑ Antwerpes vs. Kelly Focus Magazine # 15, April 6, 1996, accessed November 13, 2012
25. ↑ Barbara Schmid: A touch of Woodstock . In: Der Spiegel . No. 43 , 1999, p. 208-210 ( Online - Oct. 25, 1999 ).
26. ↑ Kellys want to buy Gymnich Castle . Berliner Zeitung, June 18, 1998 ( online at binkyskellypage.de )
27. ↑ Chart source The Children of Kosovo ( Memento of the original from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. musicline.de, accessed on November 13, 2012 
28. ↑ Price of 14 million marks non-negotiable. Castle for sale - the Kellys move out of RP Online, August 30, 2000
29. ↑ Corinna May triumphs over the Kelly Family and sings for Germany Hamburger Morgenpost , February 23, 2002, accessed on November 13, 2012
30. ↑ Dan Kelly is dead stern.de, August 7, 2002, accessed on August 13, 2012
31. ↑ Britta Havlicek: The unresolved question about the culprits , Kölner Stadtanzeiger, December 7, 2007
32. ↑ dpa: Castle of the Kelly Family is foreclosure auction  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.   , oe3.orf.at, January 28, 2012
33. ↑ Ingo Schmitz: Foreclosure expert estimates value of Gymnich Castle , Kölnische Rundschau of August 11, 2011
34. ↑ Frank Klemmer: worth 5.3 million euros. Who will buy Gymnich Castle? , Kölnische Rundschau from November 29, 2011
35. ↑ The Kelly Family property is foreclosed on auction: lock out and over in Süddeutsche Zeitung from January 31, 2012
36. ↑ Foreclosure auction - Gymnich Castle sold for three million rundschau-online.de, July 3, 2012, accessed on November 13, 2012
37. ↑ Imagination forbidden: Circus Roncalli and the Kelly Family ( Memento of the original from June 3, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. tourneen.com, accessed November 13, 2012 
38. ↑ The Kelly Family and the roller coaster rp-online.de, May 3, 2004, accessed on November 13, 2012
39. ↑ Album review Homerun laut.de, accessed on November 13, 2012
40. ↑ Who'll Come With Me : Circus Roncalli and the Kelly Family ( Memento of the original from June 3, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. tourneen.com, accessed November 13, 2012 
41. ↑ Interview with Jimmy Kelly in Thank God Special , broadcast on November 29, 2008 on rheinmain tv
42. ↑ Interview with Paddy Kelly on stern TV , broadcast on May 16, 2012
43. ↑ Interview with Patricia Kelly at B. meets ... , broadcast in 2000
44. ↑ TV interview with Markus Lanz on June 29, 2011
45. ↑ Silent Night with Paddy Kelly and Co kath.net, November 9, 2011, accessed on November 13, 2012
46. ↑ Kelly Family 2012 again on Silent Night tour ( Memento of the original from January 8, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. musikmarkt.de, accessed on January 6, 2013 
47. ↑ Kelly Family: Cologne is a home game rundschau-online.de , November 14, 2012, accessed on January 6, 2013
48. ↑ Houseboat Sean O'Kelley of the Kelly Family speyer.technik-museum.de, accessed on November 13, 2012
49. ↑ Comeback of the Kelly Family: These members are there on promiflash.de (accessed on February 15, 2017)
50. ↑ Kelly Family Comeback in Dortmund 2017 on schlagerplanet.com (accessed on November 9, 2016)
51. ↑ This is what the Kelly Family’s new album looks like on bento.de (accessed February 15, 2017)
52. ↑ Christoph Kiefer: Spectacular hit countdown: Kelly Family thrilled in Oldenburg . Article in the Nordwest-Zeitung of March 26, 2017. Accessed April 4, 2017.
53. ↑ Kelly Family: Surprise! https://www.schlager.de , accessed on June 13, 2020 . 
54. ↑ Nothing but trouble for the Kelly sect: Taxes, Schools, Donations in Die Zeit, May 3, 1996, accessed November 13, 2012
55. ↑ Kelly Family Biography laut.de , accessed on November 13, 2012
56. ↑ Failed departure in Der Spiegel , January 27, 1997, accessed on November 13, 2012
57. ↑ Family forever in Der Spiegel, April 12, 1999, accessed November 13, 2012
58. ↑ The Kellys cash in at their children's expense in Frau im Spiegel , 1982
59. ↑ Dan Kelly is dead Tagesspiegel on August 8, 2011, accessed on November 13, 2012
60. ↑ Then and Now: Kelly Family Yahoo Music, March 14, 2011, accessed November 13, 2012
61. ↑ The head of the Kelly Family is dead rp-online.de, August 6, 2002, accessed on November 13, 2012
62. ↑ TV interview with Markus Lanz, June 29, 2011
63. ↑ Joey Kelly: Hysteria of the Body , p.186 / p.199
64. ^ Official website of Thomas Stachelhaus
65. ↑ Angelo Kelly is leaving the Kelly Family Popschlager Aktuell, May 14, 2020, accessed on May 14, 2020