Thomas Raymond "Red" Kelly (August 29, 1927 in

Shelby, Montana Shelby is a city in and the county seat of Toole County, Montana, Toole County, Montana, United States. The population was 3,169 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Shelby was named in honor of Peter O. Shelby, General Manag ...

– June 9, 2004 in

Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, southwest of Bellevue, Washington, Bellevue, northeast of the state capital, Olympia ...

) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

double-bassist. Kelly initially took lessons on drums, but he was unable to work the

hi-hat A hi-hat (hihat, high-hat, etc.) is a combination of two cymbals and a pedal, all mounted on a metal stand. It is a part of the standard drum kit used by drummers in many styles of music including rock music, rock, popular music, pop, jazz, an ...

because

polio Poliomyelitis ( ), commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 75% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe ...

had inhibited the use of his feet. He switched to double-bass instead as a teenager and in 1949 began playing bass in a

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s and ...

led by Charlie Jackson. In the early 1950s he toured with

Charlie Barnet Charles Daly Barnet (October 26, 1913 – September 4, 1991) was an American jazz saxophonist, composer, and bandleader. His major recordings were "Nagasaki", "Skyliner", "Cherokee", "The Wrong Idea", "Scotch and Soda", "In a Mizz", and "South ...

Herbie Fields Herbie Fields (Herbert Bernfeld, May 24, 1919 – September 17, 1958) was an American jazz musician. He attended New York's famed Juilliard School of Music (1936–38) and served in the U.S. Army from 1941 to 1943. Career Membership in the Raym ...

Claude Thornhill Claude Thornhill (August 10, 1908 – July 1, 1965) was an American pianist, arranger, composer, and bandleader. He composed the jazz and pop standards "Snowfall" and "I Wish I Had You". Early years Thornhill was the son of J. Chester Thornhill ...

, and

Red Norvo Red Norvo (born Kenneth Norville; March 31, 1908 – April 6, 1999) was an American musician, one of jazz's early vibraphonists, known as "Mr. Swing". He helped establish the xylophone, marimba, and vibraphone as jazz instruments. His recor ...

. It was working with Norvo that led to the alias "Red"; Kelly and bassist

Red Mitchell Keith Moore "Red" Mitchell (September 20, 1927 – November 8, 1992) was an American jazz double-bassist, composer, lyricist, and poet. Biography Mitchell was born in New York City. His younger brother, Whitey Mitchell, also became a jazz ...

were living in the same apartment, and when Norvo called Mitchell to invite him to tour, he got Kelly on the phone instead. Kelly played with

Woody Herman Woodrow Charles Herman (May 16, 1913 – October 29, 1987) was an American jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roo ...

for several years, including on a 1954 tour of Europe, and around this time Kelly also recorded with

Dick Collins Richard Harrison Collins (July 19, 1924 – April 19, 2016) was an American jazz trumpeter. Collins was born in Seattle on July 19, 1924. Several of his parents and grandparents were professional musicians. Collins attended Mills College in 1946� ...

and

Nat Pierce Nathaniel Pierce Blish Jr., known professionally as Nat Pierce (July 16, 1925 – June 10, 1992) was an American jazz pianist and prolific composer and arranger, perhaps best known for being pianist and arranger for the Woody Herman band from 195 ...

. He then relocated to the West Coast, playing briefly in Seattle and then in Los Angeles with

Maynard Ferguson Walter Maynard Ferguson CM (May 4, 1928 – August 23, 2006) was a Canadian jazz trumpeter and bandleader. He came to prominence in Stan Kenton's orchestra before forming his own big band in 1957. He was noted for his bands, which often served ...

Med Flory Meredith Irwin Flory, known professionally as Med Flory (August 27, 1926 – March 12, 2014), was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader, and actor. Early years Flory was born in Logansport, Indiana, United States. His mother was an organist a ...

Stan Kenton Stanley Newcomb Kenton (December 15, 1911 – August 25, 1979) was an American popular music and jazz artist. As a pianist, composer, arranger and band leader, he led an innovative and influential jazz orchestra for almost four decades. Though ...

, and

Lennie Niehaus Leonard Niehaus (June 1, 1929 – May 28, 2020) was an American alto saxophonist, composer and arranger on the West Coast jazz scene. He played with the Stan Kenton, Stan Kenton Orchestra and served as one of Kenton's primary staff arrangers. He ...

. He was a member of the Modest Jazz Trio with

and Jim Hall, who recorded an album in 1960, and worked with

Harry James Harry Haag James (March 15, 1916 – July 5, 1983) was an American musician who is best known as a trumpet-playing band leader who led a big band to great commercial success from 1939 to 1946. He broke up his band for a short period in 1947, but ...

for most of the 1960s. Later in his life he moved to Tacoma, where he left the music business and ran his own jazz club, Kelly's. Kelly’s closed shortly before his death, in 2003. With Bobby Scott, Frank Socolow, and Kenny Hume, Kelly was part of a jazz quartet that played at the side of the stage during the Broadway performances of "A Taste of Honey," at the Lyceum Theatre, October 3, 1960, through September 9 1961.https://www.playbill.com/production/a-taste-of-honey-lyceum-theatre-vault-0000007168

References

Sources

Barry Kernfeld Barry Dean Kernfeld (born August 11, 1950) is an American musicologist and jazz saxophonist who has researched and published extensively about the history of jazz and the biographies of its musicians. Education In 1968, Kernfeld enrolled at ...

, "Red Kelly". '' The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz'', 2nd edition, 2001. (Updated version at Oxford Music Online) {{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly, Red 1927 births 2004 deaths American jazz double-bassists American male double-bassists Musicians from Montana People from Shelby, Montana 20th-century American double-bassists 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians