Red Barn Radio Live Performance Taping April 7, 2010

April 7 at 7 pm
Bluegrass songwriter Clarence Kelly was born September 6, 1955 in West Liberty, Kentucky. His father, Santford Kelly was a well known old time fiddle player in the area. This is where his exposure to music started. He got a guitar when his father traded 6 ducks for the instrument. He was self taught with some
pointers from his father. Early on in his life he was a big fan of the Stanley Brothers, spending a lot of time listening to the
radio and learning the words and music of these
and other Bluegrass artists. He always put the welfare of his family first so music was just a hobby. Clarence again started
playing in a band in the late 90’s when he teamed
up with Carlos Brock, Noah Crase, Clarence and
Wanda Baker as the Bluegrass Legends.

Nikos Pappas, a doctoral candidate at UK in musicology, admits that when it comes to music his interests range far and wide. And he blames his family for this inclusive musical orientation. “Yes, my family—going back to my great-great grandparents—is clearly to blame for this. Everybody in my family has been singing and playing music since the 1850s. My great-great grandparents met at a singing school at that time, and both branches of the family tree, in Indiana and New Mexico, have been musicians and singers since then.”A striking man with a robust physique and strong voice, Pappas sports a bushy, red beard and sometimes talks with his hands for accompaniment, almost as if they’re busy on the keys or strings of an instrument.

Red Barn Radio at Arts Place 161 N. Mill St, Lexington, KY 40506
www.redbarnradio.com