Kelley Hunt

Kelley Hunt
Birth name	Kelley Wade
Born	Kansas City, Missouri, United States
Genres	Blues, R&B
Occupation(s)	Musician, songwriter, actress
Instruments	Piano, vocals
Years active	1990s–present
Labels	88 Records
Website	Official website

Kelley Hunt is an American blues pianist, singer, and songwriter. Her 2004 album, New Shade of Blue, peaked at number 9 in the Billboard Top Blues Albums chart.

In 2006, Hunt was inducted into the Kansas Music Hall of Fame. Her most recent album and sixth to date, The Beautiful Bones, was released on 88 Records in May 2014. She is based in Lawrence, Kansas.

She was born Kelley Wade in Kansas City, Missouri, United States, and was initially musically inspired by her mother's jazz and blues styled singing. She attended Lowther Junior High School in Emporia, Kansas, in 1970/71, and the University of Kansas in 1977.

Hunt's own musical influences came from a diverse range, including the work of Ruth Brown, Ann Peebles, Wanda Jackson, Jay McShann and Mary Lou Williams amongst others. Her self-titled debut album, which was released in 1995, featured the bassist Reggie McBride and saxophonist Wilton Felder. In 1998, Hunt's song "If I Don't Dance" from her debut album, was used in the film, Dance with Me. The album Inspiration, followed in October 2000. Her 2004 album, New Shade of Blue, which was produced by Garth Fundis and Gary Nicholson, peaked at number 9 in the Billboard Top Blues Albums chart. Her fourth album, Mercy was issued in 2009, and the Star Tribune noted "Surprises don't often crop up on the well-trodden blues circuit. This Kansan is a full-blown phenomenon: powerhouse singer, hardboogieing pianist, polished songwriter…"

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Wikipedia