IRENE KELLEY

SHINES IN MANILA, AR

September 15, 2017

 

Stage at Depot Museum, Manila, AR

     SO, WE'RE A BIT BEHIND in our blogging...like at least four months behind. Where does the time go? Jumping right in here, we will let you know that we have been an IRENE KELLEY fan for some time now. We've seen Irene performing at the Station Inn in Nashville, TN, and at a showcase at the Society for the Preservation of Blue Grass Music of America (SPBGMA), also held annually in Nashville during the first weekend of February. When we learned that she would perform at the Depot Museum in Manila, AR, we were ready to hit the road again. It's not that far, and after all, it is Irene Kelley, this time with her incredible performing partner, MATT MENEFEE, who comes from the band known as Cadillac Sky. With Irene on guitar and Matt on banjo, and both artists on vocals, this was set up for a fine show. It was!

 

Matt Menefee (banjo) and Irene Kelley (guitar and vocals)

     Irene Kelley is a Nashville singer-songwriter with a clear and powerful voice--not loud, but powerful. Her songs have been recorded by many other artists, among them Claire Lynch, Trisha Yearwood, and Alan Jackson. Coming from the Pennsylvania coal country, Irene sings about what she knows, which is family hard times and trying to survive by making a living from digging coal out of the ground.

     Here are the amazing songs that Irene and Matt performed:

     Set 1  You Don't Run Across My Mind, Up in Those Blue Ridge Mountains, These Hills (Irene Kelley, inspired by her grandparents' PA farm), Coal Train, Blackberry Blossom (Matt, instrumental), Johnson's Hardware Store, Jealousy (songwriters Irene Kelley and Claire Lynch), I'm a Little Bluer Than That (songwriter Irene Kelley, Alan Jackson recorded), and Carolina Wind.

     Set 2  Leanin' on the Good Times, Thunderbird, Pennsylvania Coal, Mexico (songwriter Irene Kelley, Trisha Yearwood recorded), Lester's Song, You Can Sing You Are My Flower, Before You Call Me Home, and Highway (songwriter Claire Lynch).

     "Nashville Scene" summed it up: "APPALACHIAN ANGELS still walk amongst us." They do indeed and one the angels is Irene Kelley! We highly recommend that you catch a show by Irene Kelley along with Matt Menefee, Wayne Southards, and more fine bluegrass musicians!

 

For more information:

Irene Kelley  http://www.IreneKelley.com  

Facebook  www.facebook.com/irenekelley

Albums  These Hills, Pennsylvania Coal, Simple Path, Thunderbird, Country Lull-A-Bye's

Matt Menefee  www.mattmenefee.com

Facebook  www.facebook.com/mattmenefee

Albums with Cadillac Sky and others  Letters in the Deep, Blind Man Walking, The Bear's Revenge