Emmett Kelly (musician)

Emmett Kelly
Performing with Bonnie "Prince" Billy at The Granada Theater, June 6, 2009
Background information
Origin	Van Nuys, California
Genres	Folk, Rock, Experimental
Years active	2006 – present
Labels	Narnack Records, Disneyland Reform Party, Polyvinyl Record Co., Empty Cellar, Drag City, Tin Angel, The Blackest Rainbow
Associated acts	Ty Segall & the Freedom Band, Ty Segall & the Muggers, The Cairo Gang, Bonnie "Prince" Billy, The Surf, The Sundried, Psychojail

Emmett Kelly is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist from Van Nuys, California. He is the primary songwriter and recording artist of The Cairo Gang, and has contributed vocal and instrumental work to a variety of international musical projects, appearing on recordings by the likes of Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Azita, Joan of Arc, Angel Olsen, Edith Frost, Women and Children, John Webster Johns, Jeff Harms, Chicago poet/singer Marvin Tate, Matteah Baim, Japanese musician Takuma Watanabe, and Joshua Abrams. Kelly has toured in several of the aforementioned acts in addition to with Sonny Smith, Baby Dee, Beth Orton, and Terry Reid; and in other instances, performed live with Scott Tuma, Joan of Arc, and Pillars and Tongues. He is also one half of the band The Surf, The Sundried, and a founding member of Chicago's Psychojail.

In 2016, Kelly was a member of garage rock musician Ty Segall's backing band The Muggers, formed following the release of the studio album, Emotional Mugger. Continuing to work with Segall, Kelly contributed to the recording of his ninth studio album, Ty Segall (2017), and is currently a member of his backing band, The Freedom Band.

Emmett’s primary focus is his band, The Cairo Gang, which released its self-titled debut album on Narnack Records in 2006. The Disneyland Reform Party, a label started by Kelly and New York artist, Stasiu Tokarski, released 2008’s Twyxt Wyrd, which was subsequently released as a limited edition LP by Sheffield, UK’s The Blackest Rainbow. Following Twyxt Wyrd, Kelly released the home recorded Holy Clover EP on San Francisco’s Empty Cellar Records and Coventry, UK’s Tin Angel.

The Cairo Gang has toured with notable acts such as The Fall,OCS, Baby Dee, and Pillars and Tongues.