The Kelly Family

The Kelly Family
Left to right: Jimmy, Patricia, Paddy, Kathy and John Kelly in 1989
Background information
Origin	Ireland/USA
Genres	Pop, rock, folklore
Years active	1974–2008, 2017–present
Labels	Kel-Life, EMI, BMG, Ariola, Polydor, Universal
Members	Kathy Kelly Patricia Kelly John Kelly Joey Kelly Jimmy Kelly Paul Kelly
Past members	Papa Dan Kelly Mama Barbara-Ann Kelly Daniel Kelly Caroline Kelly Paddy Kelly Barby Kelly Maite Kelly Angelo Kelly
Website	www.kellyfamily.nl

The Kelly Family is a European-American music group consisting of a multi-generational family, usually nine siblings who were joined occasionally on stage in their earlier years by their parents. They play a repertoire of rock, pop, and folk music, and sing in English, Spanish, German, and Basque. The group had chart and concert success around the world, predominantly in continental Europe - mainly in Germany, the Benelux countries, Scandinavia, Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, and Portugal - and some in Ireland. They have sold over 20 million albums since the early 1980s and were ranked as the 6th most popular music act in Germany in the 1990s.^[1] Despite their American origins, the group is virtually unknown in the United States.^[2]

For many years, the group presented a ragamuffin image and a vagabonding lifestyle, travelling around Europe in a double-decker bus and houseboat. Their image was enhanced by their eclectic and often homemade clothing, and the very long hair worn by both male and female members of the band. The Kelly Family began to break up in 2000 and afterwards they performed mostly as individuals or sub-sets of the whole group and took on a more mainstream look.