411 on Bryan Kelley

            Ask Bryan if he ever dreamed that music would be such a big part of his life and the answer would almost certainly be no.  He would probably tell you that as a kid he was never really very outgoing or particularly popular.  Most would say that he was in fact extremely shy.  The most common reaction Bryan received in the beginning of his music career revolved around people's amazement that he could sing, write and play the guitar.  "I had no idea he could do that!" exclaimed most of his friends and family after a rookie performance at the legendary Golden Light Cantina in 2004.  "I'd been writing songs and singing for a while but I finally decided that I wanted to share my music with the outside world" Bryan said regarding his first show at the Golden Light.  That night played a huge role in Bryan's decision to make music more than just a hobby.  "I always wondered if I had what it took to get up and do what my musical heroes did on a regular basis."  The reaction from the home town crowd was affirmation that Bryan's talents were not imagined and that he needed to keep spreading his music to anyone that would listen.  

             The next logical step was to put a band together so Bryan approached a friend from SMU (the soon to be famous film mogul Michael Kistner) who played bass guitar and the rest is history.  The original Red Dirt Band began life in Dallas TX in 2004 and proceeded to take the metroplex by storm.  "We played all over the Dallas/ Fort Worth area.  It was truly a great time in my life that yielded some wild stories and unlikely friendships!" Bryan describes his first band experience as being kind of like a first date: "I was awkward to say the least.  Up until then I had been doing the solo thing and now I had three other guys to try and relay my musical vision to." Fresh out of Southern Methodist University at the time, Bryan started spending quite a bit of time in Nashville trying to broaden his musical horizons.  "I would go up once or twice a month to write songs and try to learn everything I could about the music business."  He got very close to moving there at one point but decided his home would always be in the lone star state.  "Nashville is an undeniable force in country music and one of my favorite places to visit but I'm a Texas boy at heart."  Bryan still frequents Nashville to hone his craft and pay homage to the greats that started his love affair with country music.  His influences are a provocative mix of country, southern rock and blues artists.  Early on Bryan wore out copies of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Pat Green, Robert Earl Keen, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Jack Ingram, B.B. King, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Alan Jackson, George Strait and Steve Earl CDs.  Yes CDs still existed at that point…. 

            Throw all those artists into a blender and you end up with the rock/blues/country sound that Bryan has adopted in his music with toe-tapping anthems such as Texas State Line, Crazy and Hey Whiskey.  Bryan continues to writes songs about any and everything around him.  After moving back to his hometown of Amarillo in 2006 he took a brief step back from music to get engaged in the family business and start a family with his long time sweet heart.  "I was kind of tired of living in Dallas and I knew that I wanted to raise my family in Amarillo.  I also wanted to concentrate on songwriting for a while."  In 2010 Bryan was plugged into a group of amazingly talented individuals and his current band 'Stumbling Home' started to turn heads wherever they played.  His music career is now in full force as he prepares for the release of his first studio album and a summer tour of the southwestern US.  "We're hitting it hard this summer, new record coming out in June and then hitting the road for the next few months.  The new band is amazing and we're putting out some great music."  There are no doubt big things on the horizon for Bryan so whether you buy the new record or catch a live show you need to check out the next big thing in country music.