Pat Kelly
Pat Kelly (1949 – 16 July 2019) was a Jamaican rocksteady and reggae singer… Read Full Bio ↴Pat Kelly (1949 – 16 July 2019) was a Jamaican rocksteady and reggae singer. He became the lead singer of The Techniques in the late 1960's and then left for a solo career. He was also a sound engineer for King Tubby's Studio or Channel One Recording Studio in the 1970s.
Kelly was born in Kingston in 1949. After leaving school, he spent a year studying electronics in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States during 1966, before returning to Jamaica. In 1967, when Slim Smith left The Techniques, Kelly was brought in to replace him, recording for Duke Reid in the rocksteady era when Reid's Treasure Isle studio/label was dominating Jamaican music. Kelly's falsetto voice, strongly influenced by the American soul singers Curtis Mayfield, Smokey Robinson and Sam Cooke in combination with Winston Riley and Bruce Ruffin, maintained the success that The Techniques had enjoyed with Smith. The Techniques first record with Kelly, "You Don't Care", adapted from Curtis Mayfield's "You'll Want Me Back", spent six weeks at number one in the Jamaican singles chart, and was followed by further hits with "Queen Majesty", "My Girl", "Love Is Not a Gamble", "It's You I Love", and "Run Come Celebrate".
In 1968, Kelly went solo, moving from Reid to Bunny Lee, and debuting with another Mayfield cover, "Little Boy Blue". Kelly's "How Long Will It Take" was the biggest-selling Jamaican single of 1969, and was the first Jamaican record to feature a string arrangement, which was overdubbed when it was released in the United Kingdom on the Palmer Brothers' Gas label. An album followed, the Lee "Scratch" Perry-engineered Pat Kelley Sings (sic), and Kelly was offered a £25,000 contract by Apple Records, which he was unable to accept due to existing contractual commitments. Kelly continued to record, having a big hits for producer Phil Pratt in 1972 with "Soulful Love" and "Talk About Love", and returning to record with Duke Reid, having another hit with a cover of John Denver's "Sunshine". He fell back on his earlier training, working as an engineer at Channel One Studios. He also moved into production, producing his own Youth and Youth album in 1978, and co-producing (with Holt) John Holt's The Impressable John Holt (Disco Mix) album in 1979.The late 1970s and early 1980s saw Kelly recording more regularly again, and he continued to record occasionally in the years that followed.
Kelly died on 16 July 2019 from complications of kidney disease.
Kelly was born in Kingston in 1949. After leaving school, he spent a year studying electronics in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States during 1966, before returning to Jamaica. In 1967, when Slim Smith left The Techniques, Kelly was brought in to replace him, recording for Duke Reid in the rocksteady era when Reid's Treasure Isle studio/label was dominating Jamaican music. Kelly's falsetto voice, strongly influenced by the American soul singers Curtis Mayfield, Smokey Robinson and Sam Cooke in combination with Winston Riley and Bruce Ruffin, maintained the success that The Techniques had enjoyed with Smith. The Techniques first record with Kelly, "You Don't Care", adapted from Curtis Mayfield's "You'll Want Me Back", spent six weeks at number one in the Jamaican singles chart, and was followed by further hits with "Queen Majesty", "My Girl", "Love Is Not a Gamble", "It's You I Love", and "Run Come Celebrate".
In 1968, Kelly went solo, moving from Reid to Bunny Lee, and debuting with another Mayfield cover, "Little Boy Blue". Kelly's "How Long Will It Take" was the biggest-selling Jamaican single of 1969, and was the first Jamaican record to feature a string arrangement, which was overdubbed when it was released in the United Kingdom on the Palmer Brothers' Gas label. An album followed, the Lee "Scratch" Perry-engineered Pat Kelley Sings (sic), and Kelly was offered a £25,000 contract by Apple Records, which he was unable to accept due to existing contractual commitments. Kelly continued to record, having a big hits for producer Phil Pratt in 1972 with "Soulful Love" and "Talk About Love", and returning to record with Duke Reid, having another hit with a cover of John Denver's "Sunshine". He fell back on his earlier training, working as an engineer at Channel One Studios. He also moved into production, producing his own Youth and Youth album in 1978, and co-producing (with Holt) John Holt's The Impressable John Holt (Disco Mix) album in 1979.The late 1970s and early 1980s saw Kelly recording more regularly again, and he continued to record occasionally in the years that followed.
Kelly died on 16 July 2019 from complications of kidney disease.
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Pat Kelly Lyrics
A Hard Day's Night It's been a hard day's night, and I been working…
A Whiter Shade Of Pale Simon And Garfunkel Miscellaneous A Hazy Shade Of Winter (…
Angel There'll be no strings to bind your hands Not if my…
Daddy's Home You're my love You're my angel You're the girl of my dreams …
Funny Familiar Forgotten Feelings Last night, quietly, she walked through my mind As I lay…
How Long Stood along this lonely track Watching the trains speed alon…
How Long Will It Take Stood along this lonely track Watching the trains speed alo…
I Sunshine blue skies please go away The girl has found anothe…
I Am Coming Home I'm coming home I'm coming home Tell the World I'm coming ho…
I Wish It Would Rain Sunshine blue skies please go away The girl has found anothe…
I'm In The Mood For Love Yeah, oh baby I really love you Oh girl, girl I'm in the…
I've Been Trying I've been tryin' Lord knows that I've been tryin' To under…
If I Don't Work Out Kiss me each mornings for a million year Hold me each…
Little Boy Blue You're cryin', little boy blue Are you unhappy, little boy b…
Love O Love I try hard to do my best, to bring about…
Night And Day It's been a hard day's night, and I been working…
Rain Sunshine blue skies please go away The girl has found anothe…
Sing About Love It's hard to build a better nation with different nations Wh…
Somebody's Baby I want to be somebody's baby Someone to have me, somebody…
Soulful Love I try hard to do my best, to bring about…
Started a Joke I started the joke Which started the whole world crying But …
Sunshine On My Shoulders Sunshine on my shoulders that makes me happy Sunshine in my…
Talk About Love It's hard to build a better nation with different nations Wh…
That Special One Take me inside where I wanna go Close all the doors…
The Tracks Of My Tears People say I'm the life of the party Because I tell…
Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye Kiss me each mornings for a million year Hold me each…
Those Guy True devotion, was my pledge to you now True devotion, was…
you Kiss me each mornings for a million year Hold me each…
You Are Everything You surely must know magic, girl, 'cause you changed my…
You don't care Kiss me each mornings for a million year Hold me each…
you're my everything You surely must know magic, girl, 'cause you changed my…
You're The One Don't you realize That I need you here Next to me You make…