The history of the Kelly Family goes back to the second half of the 19 century.In 1850 approximartely 1.500.000 Irish people left their country because of hunger and poverty. Among them was the Kellys great-grand father, a little boy at that time. His family came to the USA. His name was Sean OīKelley, but he decided to change it to a more American name. So he changed it to Kelly.He was known as a violin-player and had a very active and successful life. Daniel J. Kelly, the father of the Kellys, was born 1930 in Eire,Michigan. He grow up in the USA and became a teacher of Latin,maths and philosophy. In 1959, Daniel left the occupation of a teacher and started to trade with antiques. He was a very respecktful antique dealer. In 1961, the first child was born. His name was Danny. A year later , Caroline. On March 1963 in Leominster, Massachusetts Kathleen Anne arrived. In a year, the fourth child Paul. The year 1965 decided Daniel to leave the USA, because of the social problems. He figured it would be best to bring the children to the Europe, so they could be in save surroundings. So in 1966 they left the USA. They moved to Spain.This country was well-known for itīs teachers of dance and music.They settled in Toledo. Here,Daniel owned a shop with antiques. In 1970 he married Barbara Ann. She was a ballet-dancer of the Irish origin.She was a calm person, always kind and cheerful. The life in Spain were a lot different from the life they were used to live in America.In America they had a modern life. In Spain they had no radio, no TV, no car,etc. Music was the only entertainment the children had.But the life in the Spanish countryside meant a great adventure for the children. They still didnīt have to attend a school. They even wouldnīt have to. Their teachers would be their parents and a daily life. Later on ,papa Kelly explained his way of thinking to the Zeit Magazine from 24 nowember 1978: " At the scholls, pupils are under pressure, and they must decide about their future occupation as too young." He wanted his children to be happy and satisfied. In 1967, the family moved to the southern part of Spain, to Camonal. On 8 march, John Michael Kelly was born. The family lived in modest conditions, without electricity. But still they were happy and didnīt miss America comfort. It was in Spain when Kathy for the first time sang in public. It was christmas-time. All the kids came to the crib and offered gifts to the Baby Jesus. After Kathy had given her gift, she sang a song. On that time their mother bourght a tape-recorder. They had different tapes.-From classic to Walt Disney. The Kellys sang very often to the tapes. That were their first small debut-for each other as a hobby. Daniel Kelly would like to entertain the people of the little town they lived in, so he bourght a circus-tent. One time a year invited he the whole town inside the circus-tent, and then there was a carneval. At that time they didnīt play as a band, even they had music-lessons. On 25 november 1969, Patricia was bornas the sixth child. When during The christmas Caroline saw a man playing the accordion she was so impressed that she decided to play it , too. On 18 february 1971, James Victor was born. In a year, on 20 december Joseph Maria. The life in Spain was happy. The children had Spanish friends, spoke their language, sang and played At the age of 7, Johnny was impressed by the performance of a drums-player of one lokal band. Johnny had only one desire - to be like him. One day in 1974 they learned the same song, went in front of the house and sang and played for their neighboors. Their friends came and started to dance. This was the first concert as a band. They bourght a little flat in Madrid. It was there at Plaza Major, they for the first time maked money, with playing music. In Madrid played Dan and Kathy on a cafe and their performing was a huge success. They didnīt start with singing professionel, but they did all knew that some territories of their life was gone forever! 1974.Not all the children were attracted to music alredy. Little Patricia for example, preffered reading books. All what children should know,they learned from their parents or older siblings. Exept for reading,writing,music they learned also the things important for every day. Each of them can even today make the cheese and butter. Then they moved to the North of Spain. For the first time they got present as a band. They made big posters with their first band name " Kelly Kids ". Johnny played the drums, Paul saxophone, Caroline accordion, Kathy fiddle and their music-teacherīs daughter the guitar. On that time they had a repertoire of 80 songs. They expeckt from the people that they would dance while they was playing - In stead of,they was standing still and listened to their music. From that moment they got very populer in the region, and all the cities wanted them to to perform live.They also perform in their first TV-show. It was a show for children and the Kellys played some songs. That maked them really famous in Spain. Now their first fan-club was made.-The members was about 500 children, the most of them had seen Kellys on TV. When the older siblings went out to sing, little Patricia was very sad, because she had to stay home.She wanted to go with them. 5-year-old girl often cried. Once her daddy told her: "If you know to sing all our songs and play the guitar within two weeks, you can go with us." Although the guitar was too big for her, she did a lot of practice and fulfilled fatherīs condition. For the first performance she was given new suit. Her first song was was " Blanco Es El Nino". This story is typical for Patricia. Although she looks very fragile, she has a strong personality. On 28 april 1975, was Barby born.She was given her mumīs name and innerated also her talent for dance. Mum Barbara was the girls greatest model.From all her siblings, Barby is artistically the most talented. She can sing,dance,draw,she writes poetry and does modern design. Soon they travelled to Pamplona and opened a music-pub.Different musicians came to the pub and played different kinds of music-from classic to rock music. The Kellys learned and dance in the conservatoiet, and their teachers came to the pub in the evenings to play music. The pub became famous and more exclusive. It destroyed the uniqie atmosphere. So Dan decided to close the pub, and bourght a double-decker bus. The life on the road began. The family travelled acroos Europe. Sometimes they stopped and performed in the streets or sqares. Gradually, all the children were able to sing with the family.People were impressed by the singing family. Once they was asked to give a street-concert. The feedback was incredible and people started to throw money to them. In a vacation in Rom in 1976, was their car break open, and their money stolen, but their instruments wasnīt touched. One of the people they meet in Rom was Thomas Chrisian. Later he became Kathyīs teacher. He invited Kathy to Wien, where she could have free teaching. So they all decided to travel to Wien. There they was seen playing in the streets of a circus-manager, who asked them to perform in his circus. They were all circus-fans, so they answered with a quickly " Yes". In every show they played 5 times-almost always when there were a break. In 1977 the Kellys sailed to Ireland-The country, where they come from. They stayed lasted for 8 months.During this time Michael Patrick was born on 5 december - thats why he always talks about Ireland is his home-country. In Ireland they played mostly in pubs, and they also performed live for the children in a hospital of Dublin. They got to know the traditionel Irish music very good. In 1978, the Kellys came back to Germany. They were singing in the streets. Johnny and Patricia attended John Cranko Ballet School in Stuttgart. At that time Caroline left the family. At the same year, the family was discovered by Polydor company. The first single " Danny boy " sung by Johnny was made. The Kelly Family became populer. Several albums were produced. The life changed a lot. For the family that loved freedom, this time wasnīt very happy. They had to travel from one hotel to another, from show to show. They didnīt sing live, just from playback on TV. They felt a kind of relief when the contract was over. They moved to Holland and produced 2 albums themselves: " Christmas all year" and " Wonderful World ". In Berlin, on 4 december 1979 Maite Star was born.When she was 3 days old, she was on TV for the first time in mumīs arms.It was a time when the family was famous alredy. In 1980, the song " Whoīll come with me"sung by Johnny became a great hit in Belgium, Holland and Germany. Despite the success, a dark could came to the family.It was a terrible time for the Kellys. Mama Barbara had got found breast-cancer. Barbara was a woman with a big heart, deep sense for harmony and peace. Her family and children were the most important for her. In 1981, the family moved to Sapin to care for mother. In the peaceful she felt better. On 23 december 1981 Angelo Gabriele was born.Their mother prepaired her family with her dead. 7 month later - in 1982 - their mother died, and she left a despairing husband and 12 unhappy children. It lasted years till they were able to get over it.Mama Barbaraīs last wish was, that they should finish their work with the video " Christmas all year". She died 2 weeks after the video was finish. Her last word was " Keep on singing", which still are the bound in the familys work with music. Itīs those words , which stimulate the family to stick together and sing. Most of the Kellyīs songs are some kind of musical compliment to Barbara Kelly and to an empty place she left in everyday life of the family. After that, Kathy started to care for tounger siblings. From USA Danīs brother Jim, a teacher of philosophy, came to help to the family. In 1983, the family left Spain. Caroline who came back to the family because of mumīs illness, left the family for the second time. Danny left the family too. He lived with his uncle in USA. In 1983 they moved to Paris. They played on the streets and the underground. They had to be smart, if they wouldnīt get caught of the police. Theyīd mostly like the underground, because of the great sound. It was also in Paris when they for the first time used microphones.Their first microphones were unfunktinel, but they maked to dobble their incomes. So they decided to buy some orderly microphones and a generator. In 1984, Paul left the family. In 1985, they published a single in France ( "Une Familie Cést Une Chanson"), but it didnīt get very populer. They was also asked if they would perform in a TV-show. It was the 7 years old Paddyīs job to present the family-in French language. After the show he was told that he had done it as a professionell. In 1986, travelled the family back to the USA. They stayed in 8 months. Then they travelled to France, where Kathy met Vincent Van Hille, a young French philosophy and financial student, who she fall in leve with. He travelled with them around the world. In 1987 came the Kellys back to Germany again. To a start, they organised small concerts for about 200-400 people. It was a success, so they decided to try and play in the streets again. They wanted to perform with masks, so nobody reconised the successful Kelly Family. But they change their oppinion, when they find out that the younger generation couldnīt reconise their music or them at all. After a while in the streets they bourght a circus-tent,and travelled with it to different cities. And then, in 1988, they staked high and rent a hall to 6000 people. That was a very risky idea, because the hall was very expensive. They had to fix everything themselves, and the sound check had to be done a few minutes before the doors was opend. It was a nervous Kelly Family, who went on the stage, but the concert was over all expectation. The hall was filled and the concert was a huge success. At the age of 14, Barby composted one of the most beautiful Kellys song: Papa Cool.Itīs a song which they still sing to the concerts today. Before that, only Kathy and Papa composted and wrote the songs. From now all the children would write their own songs. After short time they bought a boat to live in. They wanted something to live in, but it had to be easy to move. Thatīs why the boat was a good alternative to the dobble-decker bus. They lived in Amsterdam in 2 years, where Joey, a technically skilled boy, was able to repair the boat himself, and also so they learned to sail the boat Even the youngest ones learned alot.- They had profesionell music-teachers. It was on the boat, where their next albums "Live" and "Keep On singing" were produced. Also the video-clip "Sean OīKelley" was produced on the deck of the boat. They were by now becomen stars in the East-Germany. They had given a concert in Kassel in 1988.It was the show of the year in DDR. In 1990, Vincent and Kathy had wedding, but Kathy didnīt want to leave her family. It wasnīt a ptoblem for Vincent, because he had alredy lived with the family in 4 years. Papa Dan fell ill. He had got a stroke, but with the help of his children Dan was feeling better. In Germany, the family became more and more famous. They were working very hard. They travelled across Germany, Belgium, Holland and France. Everywhere they made new fans. The Kelly mania started. In 1990,the album " New world" was produced. In a year, Jimmy left the family. He went to Ireland. After few months, he came back.At the same year, the album " Honest Workers" was made and a year later " Street Life". On 14 December 1992, Sean, a son of Kathy and Vincent, was born. In 1993, two albums followed: " The very best over 10 years" and " Wow". The family still performed in the streets. More and more fans began to love the Kellys. In 1994, the family performed at the festival " Out in the green" in Switzerland". It was a great success in front of hard-rock fans. 1994, the album " Over the hump" was an exploding bomb. The Kellys needed assistance. Danīs company Kel-Life GmbH was founded. Dan was healthy again. " Over the hump" came to the tops in the German hitlists and in the whole world. 3.000.000 CD`s was sold all alone in Germany.The family got gold and platin plates from 12 different countries: Östrig,Chech Republic, Schweiz, Poland, Slovakey,Denmark, Italy, Ireland, Ungarn, Holland, Spain and Germany. 1995 was in the live-performings-sign for the Kelly Family. They was a part of 200 shows + their own concerts. It was a incredible year for them. They played to big festivals/concerts, the biggest concert was in Wien, where they performed live for 250.000 people. Their concert at Loreley was direct in the German TV. 1996, the next album was called " Almost Heaven". The answer why the album got that name is: When the Kellys had finished the album, came Fther Dan into the studio and listened to their finished album. When heīd heard it, he started to cry of happeness and said: " Wow, itīs almost heaven". Saying that touched the 9 brothers and sisters so much, that they called the new album for " Almost Heaven". The first single from the album was " I canīt help myself", which Angelo sang/sing together with Paddy. The single sold over 500.000 exemplares just in Germany. About a year later ( 1997 ) produced the Kellys another album called " Growin`Up " Today, their "real" new album is " From their Hearts ". But Kathy has also produced a album with old songs + 5 new songs. Then the album called " The bonus tracks" is also out now. On the album you can find most B-songs, which are taken from some of the singles. The times of street life are away. The fans love the kellys very much. Why? The answer is simple. First of all, each person can choose from their music what she or he likes most. Thatīs why the fans are at the age of 2-50 or more. Next, the phenomen The Kelly Family represents a healthy family life so rare in today society. And at last but not least, the fans love them because despite all the fame they stay modest, nice, kind and natural.
