Josh Kelley

Singer, songwriter

Pop, rock, and blue-eyed soul man Josh Kelley has parlayed technological savvy, a little nerve, and a lot of talent into a solid career as a staple of movies and television soundtracks and as an album artist in his own right. The Georgia native's eclectic style has taken the easy flow of such 1970s singer-songwriters as James Taylor and Jeff Buckley and combined it with the jangly edges of Dave Matthews and John Mayer, to whom his music is most often compared. A rising star, he made entertainment headlines when he married Grey's Anatomy star Katherine Heigl in 2007.

Began Making Music Early

Born Joshua Bishop Kelley on January 30, 1980, in Augusta, Georgia, he was one of five children and grew up with two brothers and two sisters. Recordings by everyone from Stevie Wonder and Luther Vandross to Led Zepplin, Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd, and Madonna piqued his initial interest in music, and he recalled making drum kits out of his mother's pots and pans when he was nine years old. "She got so frustrated … she finally just bought me a drum set so she could have her cookware back," he recalled for Pop Entertainment. com. "From there on I just started learning as many instruments as possible." By Kelley's own count, he now plays 14 different instruments.

The precocious youngster was already playing drums and keyboards by the time he was given his first guitar at age eleven, and next came the bass. Soon after, he began writing his own songs. "I started writing originals at age 13," he told Exclusive Magazine. "One day just decided I had the chops and never looked back." During that same era, with his younger brother Charles on drums, Kelley formed a blues and soul band called Inside Blue. When Kelley was 14, the little combo cut a five-song CD of Southern rock, pop, and soul titled Heckle Street. Not only did the disc inspire Atlantic Records to offer the youngsters a recording contract, the homemade project also interested the one and only Godfather of Soul, James Brown. However, the boys' father refused to sign contracts for either offer."For one, he didn't trust James Brown," Kelley told My GT Thing Magazine, "and second of all, we were too young. And he was right. I think if he would have signed us then, I wouldn't have learned this much about myself and I don't think I would have been the songwriter and musician that I am now."

Undaunted, Kelley continued honing his skills as a writer and especially as a lead guitarist in various situations within the Augusta music scene. At age 17, he became part of a James Brown side project called First Born, where he garnered valuable professional experience, although his mind still wasn't firmly set on making music his living. After graduating from Lakeside High School in Evans, Georgia, he enrolled at the University of Mississippi in Oxford as an art major. A fine collegiate golfer, who only took up the game so he could socialize with his older brother, Kelley counted music and painting as his true passions in life, and he has painted the portraits on some of his album covers.

File-Sharing Provided His Big Break

Finally focusing on songwriting, he drew inspiration from the works of such soft rockers as James Taylor and Paul Simon, while working in the alternative ambience of Dave Matthews and Monte Montgomery. Constantly writing and recording, Kelley was also busy on the local club scene, taking regular acoustic gigs at such Oxford venues as The Blue Marlin and Proud Larry's. As word spread, he began to draw new fans from the neighboring states of Alabama, Georgia, and Arkansas. It was during this era that the notion dawned that he could make his living writing and playing music full time.

Comfortable with modern technology, the internet, and file-sharing, Kelley used modern methods to create a new fan base. "I would record my own songs and put them on my computer, compress them onto MP3 files, take my computer to the library at the University and put my songs in my files for Napster," he explained to Auralgasms.com. "I'd just kind of Spam mail people who liked people who kind of sounded like me. Then I'd type in, ‘If you like Dave Matthews, try Josh Kelley.’ I did that day after day."

Kelley released his first full-length independent album, Changing Faces, in 2001. In the meantime, one of his "Try Josh Kelley" spam mails made its way to Eric Clinger, and the Hollywood Records A&R representative eventually signed the enterprising singer-songwriter. Still in school, Kelley came up with the title for his big label debut, For the Ride Home, from a practice common in college dorms—burning mix tapes for friends who were driving home. The disc, produced by John Alagia, who also worked with John Mayer and Dave Matthews, proved an instant success, yielding a solid hit single, the warm and upbeat "Amazing."

While promoting his second album, 2005's Almost Honest, Kelley himself derided his mainstream debut. "I did all the vocals for my first record in one, and I did them all sitting on a couch with a bottle of whiskey in one hand and a bottle of honey in the other, which I now realize was a bad idea," he confessed to MTV. com. "It's not good for your voice, but nobody told me that."

The second album was a stronger seller than the first, and artistically more satisfying. Mixing soft sounds with r&b-tinged rock and pop, Kelley sang with confidence and expression while proving to be a master of the catchy pop-rock idiom. That said, the artist felt Hollywood Records had not sufficiently promoted the disc, and he asked out of his contractual commitments in time to pre-release his third album, the soul-drenched Just Say the Word, on iTunes. The result was a deal where the performer created his own music under the aegis of his own Threshold label—later DNK—and distributed it through Hollywood, which could advertise the singer-songwriter as one of their own.

For the Record …

Born Joshua Bishop Kelley, January 30, 1980, in Augusta, Georgia; married Katherine Heigl (an actress), 2007. Education: Attended the University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS.

With his brother Charles, formed band called Inside Blue which released a five-song CD, 1994; in college, began sending demos to recording industry via Napster, released independently produced album Changing Faces, 2001; signed distribution deal with Disney subsidiary Hollywood Records, 2002; released For the Ride Home, 2003; contributed songs to A Cinderella Story soundtrack, 2004; released Almost Honest, and contributed songs to soundtrack of Herbie: Fully Loaded and Killer Queen: A Tribute to Queen, 2005; released Just Say the Word, contributed songs to soundtracks of My Super Ex-Girlfriend, John Tucker Must Die, and Brother Bear 2, 2006; married television and motion picture actress Katherine Heigl, 2007; released Special Company, 2008; appeared as an actor on such television programs as Smallville, 2003, and American Dreams, 2004; sang on television programs, including Ellen: The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Live with Regis and Kelly, and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

Addresses: Record company—DNK Records / Hollywood Records, 500 S. Buena Vista St., Burbank, CA 91521, phone: 818-560-5670, Web site: http://www. hollywoodrecords.com. Management—Debbie Wilson, Wilspro, 135 West 26th St., Ste. 4A, New York, NY 10001, phone: 212-337-2123, fax: 212-337-2462. Booking—Artist Group International, phone: 212-813-9292. Web site—Josh Kelley Official Web site: http://www.joshkelley.com.

A Multimedia Specialist

The almost shockingly prolific Kelley has stayed remarkably busy. When not touring with the likes of the Gin Blossoms, Collective Soul, Seal, or One Republic, he co-writes with the Matrix and produces tracks for other artists, including his brother Charles's Southern rock band Lady Antebellum. Also in the works is a documentary, tentatively titled Making the Modern Day Label, about how to launch a musical career. Further, he has reportedly dabbled in creating scripts for potential television programs.

In the modern era, when even the biggest acts cannot be certain of mainstream exposure, getting fresh songs placed on the soundtracks of motion pictures and television shows is an essential part of cultivating a fan base. Few performers have done this as well as Kelley, whose original contributions have been heard on TV's Alias, Smallville, and One Tree Hill, as well as in several Hollywood films, including The Prince & Me, My Super Ex-Girlfriend, John Tucker Must Die, and 27 Dresses. On these projects, Kelley's soft but honest style often bolsters the mood of a scene, ensuring his popularity with directors and viewers alike.

Kelly made entertainment news headlines when he and actress Katherine Heigl wed in 2007. The actress, best known for her work in the ABC television drama Grey's Anatomy and in the 2006 movie hit Knocked Up, met Kelley when she appeared in the video adaptation of his 2005 hit "Only You." Kelley employed his tender regard for Heigl to fuel most of the songs on his 2008 album Special Company. "Kelley's better at the faux-Eddie Vedder moments than the faux-Al Green moments," summed up Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone, "but in either mode he sure does hambone it up, never failing to let you know he's touching a special, special lady in the right, right way."

Seemingly immune to criticism, Kelley's fourth album became a strong seller for an independent release, and prompted his first overseas tour. With a flourishing relationship and seemingly limitless career, Kelley has often expressed gratitude for his rapid rise. "I get to travel all over the country and see the world," he told American Superstar Magazine. "It makes you a better person, it makes you smart, it makes you more passionate."

Selected discography

Singles

"Amazing," Hollywood, 2003.

"Everybody Wants You," Hollywood, 2004.

"Only You," Hollywood, 2005.

"Almost Honest," Hollywood, 2006.

Albums

Changing Faces, self-released, 2001.

For the Ride Home, Hollywood, 2003; special two-disc version released, 2004.

(Contributor) Herbie: Fully Loaded, Hollywood, 2005.

(Contributor) My Super Ex-Girlfriend [Soundtrack], Hollywood, 2006.

(Contributor) John Tucker Must Die [Soundtrack], Wind-Up, 2006.

(Contributor) Brother Bear 2 [Soundtrack], Reprise, 2006.

Just Say the Word, Hollywood, 2006.

Special Company, Threshold, 2008.

Sources

Online

"Josh Kelley," All Music Guide,http://www.allmusic.com (June 29, 2008).

"Josh Kelley Biography," Auralgasms,http://www.auralgasms.com/default.aspx?BandID=joshkelley (June 30, 2008).

"Josh Kelley, Completely Honest," My GT Magazine,http://www.girlything.com (October 7, 2008).

"Josh Kelley Forgoes The Booze For Sophomore LP, Almost Honest," MTV.com,http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1511429/20051013/kelly_josh.jhtml (June 28, 2008).

"Josh Kelley, Life in the Pop Game," Pop Entertainment.com,http://www.popentertainment.com/joshkelley.htm (June 28, 2008).

"Josh Kelley, 'Word Up!," Exclusive Magazine,http://www.annecarlini.com/ex_interviews.php?id=703 (June 28, 2008).

"Kelley Puts His Soul Into Pop and Rock," Chicago Sun-Times.com,http://www.chicagosun-times.com (August 24, 2007).

"Lucky and good," The Northwest Indiana and Illinois Times Newspaper,http://www.nwi.com/articles/2005/10/28/entertainment/entertainment/6053081d2f5ac0f9862570a6007ceb23.txt (October 7, 2008).

"Morley Views: Josh Kelley," antiMusic,http://www.rocknworld.com/morley/06/JoshKelley.shtml (June 28, 2008).

"OK! Interview: Josh Kelley" OK Magazine,http://www.okmagazine.com/home/ (February 4, 2008).

"Primed for the big time," KC Chronicle,http://www.kcchricle.com (June 28, 2008).

"Rolling Stone Review," Rolling Stone,http://www.rollingstone.com (February 21, 2008).

"Special Company More Than Just An Album Name or Josh Kelley," American Superstar Magazine,http://www.americansuperstarmag.com/music/Mar08/Josh_Kelley_page2.php (March 2008).

—Ken Burke