Kellye Gray

'''Kellye Gray''' (22 February, 1954{{spnd}}29 December, 2018)<ref>{{cite web |last1=Charlie |first1=Faye |title=The Last Recording by Beloved Jazz Vocalist Kellye Gray Celebrates the Music of Prince with Purple Gray: A Prince Offering |url=https://independentartistbuzz.com/post/677003090244812800/the-last-recording-by-beloved-jazz-vocalist-kellye |website=Independentartistbuzz.com |accessdate=11 March 2022 |date=23 February 2022}}</ref> was a jazz vocalist from Dallas, Texas.

==Biography== A native of Dallas, she learned to play guitar in her teens. During the 1980s, she worked in Austin as technical director for a comedy group that included Sam Kinison and Bill Hicks.<ref name="Gettelman">{{cite web |last1=Gettelman |first1=Parry |title=Life is funny for Kellye Gray, who made switch from comedy to jazz singing |url=https://www.austin360.com/article/20120901/ENTERTAINMENT/309018911 |website=Austin 360 |accessdate=21 February 2019 |date=1 September 2012}}</ref> As a vocalist she led the Kellye Gray Band and moved to Houston. Her debut album, ''Standards in Gray'', was released by Justice Records in 1990.<ref name="Gilbert">{{cite web |last1=Gilbert |first1=Andrew |title=Remembering Kellye Gray |url=https://www.sfcv.org/article/remembering-kellye-gray |website=San Francisco Classical Voice |accessdate=21 February 2019 |date=11 February 2019}}</ref><ref name="Demalon">{{cite web |last1=Demalon |first1=Tom |title=Kellye Gray |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/kellye-gray-mn0000088131/biography |website=AllMusic |accessdate=25 December 2018 }}</ref> The album reached No. 12 on the ''Gavin Report'', selling over 75,000 copies. Several years later ''Tomato Kiss'' (Proteus) was released.<ref>[http://prod1.cmj.com/articles/display_article.php?id=3421 ''CMJ New Music Report''.]{{Dead link|date=October 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }}</ref> She produced the live album ''Blue & Pink'' (Proteus). By 2007 she released ''Live at the Jazzschool'' (Grr8) recorded in Berkeley at the Jazzschool. In 2008, ''KG3 Live at the Bugle Boy'' (Grr8) was released with an acoustic trio of classical guitar, double bass, and jazz vocals. The trio was recorded at the La Grange, Texas vintage World War II army barracks venue.

She was hired several times by singer Madeline Eastman to teach at Jazz Camp West. She sang at the Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society in Half Moon Bay and at venues in Sausalito and San Francisco.<ref name="Gilbert" /> She performed at Houston International Festival, Jazz and Blues Heritage Festival, Lincoln Center, San Francisco Jazz Festival, Snug Harbor, Spoleto Festival USA, Stanford Jazz Festival, and Yoshi's.

She died on December 29, 2018, two weeks after being diagnosed with breast cancer.<ref name="Gilbert"/>

==Discography== * 1990 ''Standards in Gray'' (Justice) * 1996 ''Tomato Kiss'' (Proteus) * 2002 ''Blue & Pink (A Live Concert): The Blue Songs'' (Proteus) * 2003 ''Blue & Pink (A Live Concert): The Pink Songs'' (Proteus) * 2007 ''Live at the Jazzschool'' (Grr8) * 2008 ''KG3 Live at the Bugle Boy'' (Grr8) * 2013 ''And They Call Us Cowboys: The Texas Music Project'' (Grr8) * 2017 ''Rendering'' (Grr8)<ref name="AM discog">{{cite web |title=Kellye Gray {{!}} Album Discography |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/kellye-gray-mn0000088131/discography |website=AllMusic |accessdate=25 December 2018}}</ref> * 2022 ''Purple Gray: A Prince Offering''

==References== {{Reflist}}

== External links == *[http://www.kellyegray.com Official web site]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gray, Kellye}} Category:Year of birth missing Category:2018 deaths Category:American jazz singers