Kelly started playing upright bass in Jr. High with his buddy Bill Lamb in a duo called the Other Brothers. They did a Smothers brothers act verbatum off a record, to rave reviews. Kelly played again with Bill Lamb and another buddy from Parkrose High School Gary Ogan for a couple of years off and on in the early seventies. Then went Rock with a local Band called the Street Corner Band, Then played with the hippy-dippy Wheatfield for a couple of years and then top 40 band Neon, Red Pepper (a band he still plays in occasionally with his wife, singer Loretta Stites) and now with Liquid Blues for the 2nd or 3rd time. Kelly works at Freightliner as a Mechanical Designer by day and once or twice a month stays up late as a Blues Bass man with the Liquid Blues Band.