Kelly Willis was born on October 1, 1968 in Lawton, Oklahoma, USA. She is a country music singer-songwriter, whose music has been described as contemporary country, alternative country and new traditionalist.
Biography and Career :
She is the third child of her family. Her father was a US Army colonel and that's why they had to move for several times from a place to another. The passion for music came from her mother who had a strong interest in music and sang and acted in amateur musicals.
When she was only nine years old her parents divorced and in the same time Kelly started to sing. After she graduated from high-school in Annandale, Virginia she married at only twenty-one years old with her boyfriend in high-school, Mas Palermo.
They divorced after only two years, 19
91 and in the next year Kelly met the singer-songwriter Bruce Robison and they started a tumultuous relationship. In 1996 they got married.
Her career in music started in high-school when she was co-opted in her boyfriend's band. This took only a couple of years and after they moved in Austin the band was disbanded; she and her husband, Mas Palermo, formed another band called Radio Ranch.
In 1989 Kelly signed a contract with MCA label and in the next year appeared her first album "Well Travelled Love". She appeared in magazines like Vogue and Mademoiselle and her voice was used in movies like "Thelma and Louise" and "Bob Roberts".
In 1994 she broke her contract with MCA and after two years she made an EP at A&M Records called "Fading Fast". In 1999 Kelly produced by herself a new album named "What I Deserve" and had a lot of success. In 2007 appeared her last album "Translated From Love".
Trivia :
- She is married from 1996 with Bruce Robison and they have four children: Deral Otis Robison born in Januray 2001, girl and boy twins(Abigail Esme Robison & Benjamin James Robison) born 23 March 2003 and Joseph Willis Robison born on January 10, 2006.
Quotes :
- "Love can be so transforming, wherever you find it..."
- "If I make something good, then it will find its own audience. Every time in my life I have worried about it, it hasn't done me any good. I try to figure out the secret. I just let it go."
Discography :
Well Travelled Love (1990)
Bang Bang (1991)
Kelly Willis (1993)
Fading Fast (EP) (1996)
What I Deserve (1999)
One More Time: The MCA Recordings (2000)
Easy (2002)
Happy Holidays (2003)
Translated From Love (2007). Kelly Willis Image : dallasnews.com