Some people get told Nashville is a ten-year town and treat that like a warning.
Kimberly Kelly treated it like a calendar and kept going past it.
Lorena, Texas. Dad on the regional circuit. Sister Kristen on the bigger tours — harmony behind Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, Alan Jackson while she finished a master’s in speech pathology and booked her own weekends. Billy Joe Shaver was the musical grandfather. Mandolin at Antone’s because a real-estate favor turned into a Saturday night. Toby Keith’s Show Dog. Thirty Tigers. Opry debut with Steve Wariner in the circle. CMT Next Women of Country. Tracy Lawrence. Clay Walker. Luke Combs. Cody Johnson.
I’ll Tell You What’s Gonna Happen is the Shaver line and the 2022 label debut. “Blue Jean Country Queen.” “Person That You Marry” with Lori McKenna. “Summers Like That.” Now the next record: Modern Day Woman, produced by her husband, hit writer Brett Tyler. Title track out. “Stripper For A Week.” “40” just dropped — funny on purpose about not trading this age for 25. She hosts Thirty Tigers’ Gospel Brunch at AmericanaFest. She is not hiding the jobs, the degree, or the kid.
This Spotlight Series sit-down is Texas first. The rest of the résumé showed up later.
Interviewed by Chris Ramos of Sons of Lions for The Country Note.
Find her at kimberlykellymusic.com.
This is TCN Spotlight Series. A different artist every day. Pour something, watch the video, then come read the story.
Kimberly Kelly socials
- Website: kimberlykellymusic.com
- Instagram: @kimberlykellymusic
- TikTok: @kimberlykellymusic
- Facebook: Kimberly Kelly Music
- YouTube: Kimberly Kelly
- Spotify: Kimberly Kelly