Patricia Kelly is a singer, songwriter, artist, and a member of The Kelly Family.
Patricia Kelly hails from a musical family. Her great-grandfather moved from Ireland to the United States at the end of the 19th century, bringing a violin with him. Dan Kelly, the family patriarch, studied philosophy and theology in Rome during the 1950s. He later became a teacher and managed a transatlantic antiques business. Dan married Barbara Ann, a ballerina, and they relocated with their children from the USA to a small Spanish village lacking TV, radio, electricity, and running water. They led a simple lifestyle, playing music around the campfire in the evenings. Dan and Barbara Ann Kelly raised 12 children.
On one occasion, Dan Kelly took his children to Rome to show them the city’s beauty. They parked their VW bus near the Colosseum, and upon returning, they found everything stolen except their musical instruments. Out of necessity, they began performing music on the streets of Rome and discovered that people appreciated their family and music. They decided to travel across Europe, earning a living through music. Their journey took them to cities such as Venice, Vienna, Zurich, Munich, Paris, London, and Dublin. During this period, they lived in an old London double-decker bus, later moving to a boat.
Patricia Kelly Lecture Topics
- The Dream & Hard Work: From performing in the Paris Metro to filling stadiums across Europe
- Disruptive Digitalization: Transforming challenges in the music industry into opportunities
- Resilience, Courage & Motivation – Successfully overcoming crises after meningitis and cancer
- Plan B – Knowing your goals and fighting to achieve them
- Creativity & Performance – Lessons companies can learn from successful artists
Patricia Kelly reached the Spiegel bestseller list with her biography. She serves as one of the CEOs of The Kelly Family and is a successful female entrepreneur. Additionally, she is an ambassador for the German Stroke Foundation, Missio, and the Breast Cancer Foundation e.V. Prognose Leben.
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In the late 1970s, The Kelly Family was discovered by a Polydor music producer and signed their first record deal. They quickly became a major success in Central Europe, with their albums topping the charts. However, tragedy struck when mother Barbara was diagnosed with breast cancer, leading the family to stop performing and return to Spain. She passed away in 1982, leaving the family in difficult circumstances with no money. They moved to Paris and performed in the Metro during winter to support themselves.
The Kelly Family’s success story
They were discovered by Eddie Barclay, a French show business legend who owned publishing rights for Edith Piaf and Jacques Brel. In the mid-1990s, they achieved a major breakthrough in Central Europe. Their 1994 album “Over The Hump” and subsequent releases broke records. The Kelly Family sold over 20 million records and earned 40 Platinum and Gold awards. They won all major German awards, including Echo and Bambi. In 1996, they filled stadiums across Europe, and in 1995, they set a record by performing in front of 250,000 people at Vienna’s Donauinselfest.
“Over The Hump” remains the seventh best-selling album in Germany, with over 3 million copies sold (compared to Pink Floyd’s “The Wall,” which sold 2 million copies in Germany). One of the album’s biggest hits is “First Time,” written by Patricia Kelly. This song became the most successful single of the leading teen magazine BRAVO and was the hit of 1995. Since 1989, Patricia has been Dan Kelly’s right hand in management and business alongside her music career.
The American entertainment industry took notice of The Kelly Family, with offers from the William Morris Agency, major record labels, and Walt Disney, which wanted to produce a movie about the family. They received invitations worldwide, including Japan and China. After years of intense work, the family decided to take a break.
The individual Kelly members married, started families, and pursued solo projects. Patricia married in 2001 and has two sons born in 2001 and 2003. She collaborates with top jazz musicians, tours, and develops her own sound blending folk, pop, soul, and singer-songwriter styles.
In 2017, The Kelly Family reunited for a major comeback. Their album “We Got Love” debuted at number one and achieved triple platinum status in Germany and other European countries, selling 700,000 copies so far. Their first arena concerts at Dortmund’s Westfalenhalle sold out within minutes. The subsequent “We Got Love” Arena Tour also sold out, with over 400,000 attendees across seven countries. The Kelly Family is more popular than ever, and the story continues with another arena tour and open-air concerts planned for 2019/2020, featuring 49 shows in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Poland, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, and Belgium.
