Melody Mann

Artist Information

Biography

Kelly Williams-Mann has been writing and performing a blend of blues, rock and jazz with a little Texas twang, for the last 11 years. But Kelly was somewhat of a late bloomer. After entertaining audiences in theater, recitals and other events as a very small child, Kelly took a long hiatus and pursued a career in corporate wellness that took her from Texas, to Pennsylvania, to Connecticut and finally to Atlanta, GA. Although she loved her career at the time, there was always something missing.

Thomas Mann first sat down at the piano in Buffalo NY at the age of 3, with his great Aunt Sophie (who was a piano teacher) by his side. Thom immediately fell in love with the piano, and thus began his life long connection to music and composition. As a teenager, he also took up guitar, was an All-State tuba player and played bass in his award-winning high school jazz band. After graduating from high school and attending college, Thom hitchhiked across the country with his guitar in tow (the piano was a little too heavy to carry) and ended up in Cape Cod, Florida and eventually Atlanta. In Atlanta, Thom began teaching piano and guitar lessons for The European School of Music while he played in several bands. One of those bands was Sock, a jazz-punk band for which Thom was the principal songwriter.

In 1994, Kelly began taking guitar lessons while in Atlanta, and found her voice once again. And for the first time, Kelly began writing her own music. In 1995, with twin brothers Doug and Don Pharris, she formed The Kelly Williams Band, a rockin’ southern, blues band featuring Kelly’s original music. When the band went into the studio in August of 1995, Don introduced Kelly to his daughter’s guitar teacher, Thomas Mann. Kelly invited Thom to play piano on several of the songs on the CD, and Thom later joined The Kelly Williams Band.

Kelly eventually quit her job in the corporate world and began focusing on music while The Kelly Williams Band began touring extensively throughout the Southeast, Southwest and Midwest. They shared the stage with acts such as Storyville, Chris Duarte, Delbert McClinton and Robert Earl Keen, and played in notable clubs such as The Grand Emporium in Kansas City, Antone’s in Austin, The Zoo Bar in Lincoln, NE and The Cotton Club and Smith’s Olde Bar in Atlanta. They received numerous accolades from music writers and appeared on numerous local TV shows and radio shows. The Kelly Williams Band headlined on one of the stages at the annual Spirit Fest in Kansas City and was one of 8 bands asked to participate in the Virginia Slims Female Vocalist competition in Atlanta. But, with all the success in Atlanta, Kelly longed to get back to her roots in Texas.

As fate would have it, Kelly fell in love with the piano player and today she and Thomas are married and are making beautiful music together. In 2002, the couple moved back to Texas. Today, they perform together as Melody Mann, bringing together Kelly’s upbringing on Texas gospel and roadhouse music and Thom’s East Coast jazz and classical roots. Yes, Thomas is a Yankee, but he calls himself a ‘naturalized Texan’ since he married one……and he drives a truck and owns a cowboy hat! What more could a Texas girl want?

Instrumentation

Kelly Mann - Vocals, Guitar
Thomas Mann - Piano, Rhodes, Hammond Organ, Guitar, Vocals

Additional Players:
Bill Crock - Guitar, Mandolin
Scott Beardsley - Bass
Phil Roach - Drums
David Gilden - Trumpet

Melody Mann can play as an acoustic act with 2-3 members or full band with 5 or 7 members (horns).

Discography

'Hard Road' CD.

Audio

• Hard Road
  Listen   Download
• Inza's Lonesome Coyote Saloon
  Listen   Download
• My Way Home
  Listen   Download

Lyrics

• Hard Road
• Inza's Lonesome Coyote Saloon
• My Way Home

Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• Kelly Mann Nominated for 2007 Texas Music Award [+ Show ]
  

  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACT: Kelthom Music 512.326.3748 info@melodymann.com www.melodymann....FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
  CONTACT:
  Kelthom Music
  512.326.3748
  info@melodymann.com
  www.melodymann.com
  Kelly Mann Nominated for a 2007 Texas Music Award
  
  Austin, TX, February 19, 2007 – Kelthom Music and Melody Mann announced today that Kelly Mann, lead singer and co-songwriter for Melody Mann, has been nominated for a 2007 Texas Music Award. The Texas Music Awards are produced by MyTexasMusic.com and sanctioned by The Academy of Texas Music in hopes of continuing to raise worldwide awareness of the tremendous musical talent in Texas. “I’m so excited and thrilled to be nominated for a Texas Music Award”, stated Kelly Mann. “Texas is full of tremendous musicians and I am very honored to be recognized among such a talented group of people.”
  Kelly is one of five female artists to be nominated for “Female Vocalist of the Year”. Nominations for the Texas Music Awards were given by the Academy of Texas Music, which operates as an informal non-profit entity with a large membership base. Nominations were submitted by artists, the public, industry professionals, disc jockeys and record producers. Over 24,000 nominations over all were received.
  The Texas Music Awards will take place on Saturday, March 24th at the Music City Texas Theater in Linden, TX. Limited tickets will be available to the public. Ticket information can be found online at www.texasmusicawards.org. The show will begin at 2pm CST and will feature live performances by many of the nominees. An After Party will feature music from the “Live Band of the Year” nominees. "This is going to be a great show," said TMA Executive Producer Jinelle Boyd. "It gets bigger and better every year and the talent that is represented this year is just incredible."
  ABOUT MELODY MANN – Melody Mann features the songwriting team of Kelly Mann and Thomas Mann. They perform original music blending blues, rock and jazz with a little Texas twang. They are based out of Austin, TX. You can learn more about Melody Mann at www.melodymann.com.
  ABOUT THE TEXAS MUSIC AWARDS – Co-founded by Jinelle and Lucky Boyd, The Texas Music Awards are presented by MyTexasMusic.com (the online retail arm of Payline Productions) and sanctioned by The Academy of Texas Music. Learn more about the Texas Music Awards at www.texasmusicawards.org. Public voting continues online through February 23rd.
  ABOUT MUSIC CITY TEXAS THEATER – The Music City Texas Theater is a project of Linden - Music City Texas, Inc., an autonomous nonprofit 501 (c) (3) organization conceived by the Linden Economic Development Corporation in an effort to promote tourism in Linden, Cass County and the surrounding area. The facility itself is a result of the artful renovation of the Linden American Legion Auditorium built in 1948-50. Celebrating its Grand Opening in May of 2003, the theater is now and will continue presenting an array of quality entertainment, ranging from nationally known artists to regional and local entertainers from all genres of music. Learn more at www.musiccitytexas.org.
  - END -
  

• Review [+ Show ]
  

  "'Hard Road', Melody Mann’s debut CD is a telling example of this group’s multiple talents and extra..."'Hard Road', Melody Mann’s debut CD is a telling example of this group’s multiple talents and extraordinary versatility. Head vocalist, Kelly Williams-Mann, has a strong, compelling voice that grips the listener, seizes the emotions and pleases the ear. Add to that the awesome keyboards by Thomas Mann and some other very smooth musical accomplishment and you can see why the sky’s the limit for this talented group from Austin."

• Review [+ Show ]
  

  "Strong, powerful, and true to the core, the Melody Mann sound is undeniably Texan as they lean from..."Strong, powerful, and true to the core, the Melody Mann sound is undeniably Texan as they lean from sultry to roadhouse with the greatest of ease. Sure to become a Texas music mainstay, this group is ready to rock - Melody Mann style."

• Article [+ Show ]
  

  "Kelly Williams-Mann’s strong, rich voice sounds flawless whether it has a Texas twang or a New Orle..."Kelly Williams-Mann’s strong, rich voice sounds flawless whether it has a Texas twang or a New Orleans’s blues feel......Melody Mann’s versatile sound on its debut album could be just what the band needs to become a new Austin “it” band." -Katie Reed

• Testimonial
  

  “(Kelly Mann) is a natural. The delivery in her voice sounds effortless.”

• Review
  

  “Thomas Mann may be the next big thing in keyboard players in Austin”

• Review
  

  “Kelly has a Bobbie Gentry quality that we want more and more ….in short, Kelly can growl!"

• Testimonial [+ Show ]
  

  Melody Mann's singles from the soon to be released CD 'Hard Road' are steeped in the rich tradition ...Melody Mann's singles from the soon to be released CD 'Hard Road' are steeped in the rich tradition of Texan storytelling and are chock full of grit and sass. On the ballad Inza's Lonesome Coyote Saloon, the maturity of Mann's vocal talent is clear, and in places, she purrs as if she's letting you in on a secret. In any case, the sexiness of Mann's performance on this album will soon be let out of the bag. Some Time to Get Together is a romping, playful tune with more of a pop sound than the rest of the album. It ought to receive a good amount of radio play. Hard Road is the most musically complex track on the singles CD layering electric guitars, organ and strong background vocals. Mann's musical influences might be guessed to range anywhere from Ricky Lee Jones to Mazzy Star. Fortunately, she avoids the trap many other female vocalists tend to fall into, where every song starts to sound alike. I expect Melody Mann to be around for a long time.

• Press Release [+ Show ]
  

  For immediate release: February 14, 2006 ******************** Contact: Sarah Innerarity 512.633....For immediate release: February 14, 2006
  ********************
  Contact: Sarah Innerarity 512.633.7140
  ********************
  Melody Mann releases new album “Hard Road”
  ********************
  Austin band plans weekend of events for CD release
  
  (Austin, TX.) – Austin-based band Melody Mann today announces plans for the release of their new album Hard Road. Melody Mann has a full weekend of events planned to celebrate the release of the new album, with two performances in Austin to promote their new CD. Melody Mann features the vocals of Kelly Williams-Mann, Thomas Mann on piano, organ and guitar, and a full band line-up including bass, guitar, drums, saxophone & trumpet. Their unique sound combines Kelly and Thomas’s roots of blues, jazz, rock, and Honky-Tonk music with Texas-style songwriting and flair.
  
  Melody Mann will host a Listening Party on Friday, February 24th at Waterloo Ice House, located at 600 North Lamar. Guests will enjoy an acoustic show featuring selected songs from Hard Road. They will also have the chance to purchase the CD at a discounted price. The show will be from 10:00pm-1:00am at Waterloo, and the admission is $3 per person at the door.
  
  On Saturday, February 25th, Melody Mann will host a CD release party at Tambaleo, located at 302 Bowie. The full seven piece band will perform from 7:00pm-10:00pm. Guests will enjoy complimentary appetizers and drink specials while listening to the band. The admission is $14 per person for a ticket to the show and the Hard Road CD, or $5 per person for each ticket to the show.
  
  "Thomas and I are so thrilled to finally be releasing Melody Mann's debut CD, 'Hard Road'. The CD is an eclectic collection of original songs that has something for everyone - a little blues, a little jazz, a little country and even some rock n roll. A real slice of Americana,” says Kelly Williams-Mann. “The shows will be totally different, so we really hope people
  will consider coming to both venues to see first hand the diversity that Melody Mann has to offer."
  
  For more information on these events and other upcoming concerts, please visit www.melodymann.com. For press opportunities, booking, and other questions about Melody Mann, please contact Sarah Innerarity at 512.633.7140

Setlist

We play mostly originals. For gigs that include 3-4 sets of music, we also do some covers - mostly classic rock tunes with our own twist (Janis Joplin, Traffic, ZZ Top, The Allman Brothers, etc.)

Basic Requirements

Calendar