Emma Thompson Kelly (December 17, 1918 – January 17, 2001) was an American musician. Known as the "Lady of 6,000 Songs",
[ she appeared in both ]John Berendt
John Berendt (born December 5, 1939) is an American author, known for writing the best-selling non-fiction book '' Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil'', which was a finalist for the 1995 Pulitzer Prize in General Nonfiction, and '' The Ci ...
's 1994 book ''Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
''Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil'' is a non-fiction novel by John Berendt. The book, Berendt's first, was published on January 10, 1994, and follows the story of Jim Williams, an antiques dealer on trial for the killing of Danny Hansf ...
'' and its 1997 movie adaptation.
Her nickname was given to her by Johnny Mercer
John Herndon Mercer (November 18, 1909 – June 25, 1976) was an American lyricist, songwriter, and singer, as well as a record label executive who co-founded Capitol Records with music industry businessmen Buddy DeSylva and Wallichs Music Cit ...
, who — after challenging her to play numerous songs he named — estimated she knew 6,000 songs from memory.["Our 'Mrs. Emma'"]
- '' Statesboro Herald'', October 18, 2015
Personal life
Kelly was born in 1918 in Statesboro, Georgia
Statesboro is the most populous city in and the county seat of Bulloch County, Georgia, United States. Located in the southeastern part of the state, its population was 33,438 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the principal city ...
. She was married to George Kelly for 47 years — from 1936 until his death from a heart attack in 1983 at the age of 70.[ Together, they had ten children.][
For most of her life, Kelly drove around southern ]Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States
Georgia may also refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
to play piano at various events. With Joe Odom, Kelly was a co-owner of the short-lived Emma's piano bar in an old cotton warehouse on River Street in Savannah, Georgia
Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Brita ...
. The bar was forced to close after Odom squandered its earnings. "He could do you wrong. And he did me wrong," Kelly said in 1997, six years after Odom's death. "But I miss Joe. I get a little teary-eyed thinking about him. He had a flair for coming up with good ideas."
As of 1994, she was performing weekly sittings at Hard-Hearted Hannah's East, above the Pirates' House in Savannah.
Death
Kelly died in 2001 from a liver ailment. She was 82.["Emma Kelly, 82, 'Lady of 6,000 Songs'"]
- ''New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', January 29, 2001
Accolades
Kelly was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame
The Georgia Music Hall of Fame was a hall of fame to recognize music performers and music industry professionals from or connected to the state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It began with efforts of the state's lieutenant governor Zell Mill ...
in 1998. She performed at the event."Emma's acceptance piano speech Emma Kelly Ga Music Hall of Fame"
- YouTube, October 26, 2014
References
External links
*
Emma Thompson Kelly
at FindAGrave.com
Emma Kelly - Statesboro
- YouTube, May 7, 2010
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly, Emma
1918 births
2001 deaths
People from Statesboro, Georgia
20th-century American women pianists
20th-century American pianists
21st-century American women pianists
21st-century American pianists