Kelly Dees

Kelly finds inspiration in all kinds of music and in all kinds of people and places. Her writing style varies, just as the sources of inspiration do. While some of the songs she has written are direct reflections of her own life experiences, she is also has been influenced by friends and strangers alike. "Sometimes a situation will just touch me in such a way that I just feel compelled to write about it," she says. "That's usually when the songs find me, and they just pour out." Many artists have been influential to Kelly over the years, but some of her favorites include Etta James, Aretha Franklin, Susan Tedeschi, Ray Charles, B. B. King, Nina Simone, and Billie Holiday.

After settling in Tampa, Florida, she turned her attention to belting out classic blues, R&B, and jazz tunes. Initially, Kelly performed at local bars and nightclubs, covering songs made famous by artists that she greatly admires. But all the while, her own song ideas were swirling around in her head. In 2004, Kelly decided to take a break from performing in order to focus on bringing those song ideas to life, and it didn't take long. Once she made the decision to focus on writing the songs for her debut CD, "Bettin' Woman", she wrote all but two of the songs in little more than a week. With Mike Conway, owner of MCR Studios, as her producer, Kelly was able to have a remarkable roster of heavyweight blues and R&B performers backing her up on this album. She is so proud and thankful to have had the honor of working with Kevin Wilder, Richy Kicklighter, T.C. Carr, Dale Horton, Dean Germain, Theo Valentin, and Richard Jackson. Frankie J also performs on several songs, giving a memorable trombone solo on "There'll Be A Day".

Kelly resides in Tampa with her husband Mark. They just welcomed a beautiful daughter named Hope into their family in December 2005.