Horatious Adolphus "Pat" Kelly (6 August 1944 – 16 July 2019)Perry, Kediesha (2019)
Fraternity bids farewell to singer Pat Kelly
, ''

Jamaica Observer ''Jamaica Observer'' is a daily newspaper published in Kingston, Jamaica. The publication is owned by Butch Stewart, who chartered the paper in January 1993 as a competitor to Jamaica's oldest daily paper, ''The Gleaner ''The Gleaner'' is an ...

'', 19 August 2019. Retrieved 20 August 2019 was a Jamaican

rocksteady Rocksteady is a music genre that originated in Jamaica around 1966. A successor of ska and a precursor to reggae, rocksteady was the dominant style of music in Jamaica for nearly two years, performed by many of the artists who helped establish ...

and

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

singer, whose career began in the mid-1960s. He recorded as a solo artist and as a member of the vocal group the Techniques.

Biography

The Techniques

Kelly was born in Kingston in 1944. After leaving school, he spent a year studying

electronics The field of electronics is a branch of physics and electrical engineering that deals with the emission, behaviour and effects of electrons using electronic devices. Electronics uses active devices to control electron flow by amplification ...

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States, and the seat of Hampden County. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, th ...

, United States during 1966, gaining a degree in audio electronics from

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of th ...

, before returning to Jamaica.Bonitto, Brian (2019)
Aug 17 send-off for singer Pat Kelly
, ''

'', 29 July 2019. Retrieved 18 August 2019 He initially recorded as a solo artist for his former schoolmate, producer

Bunny Lee Edward O'Sullivan Lee OD (23 August 1941 – 6 October 2020), better known as Bunny "Striker" Lee, was a Jamaican record producer. He was known as a pioneer of the United Kingdom reggae market, licensing his productions to Trojan Records i ...

. In 1967, when

Slim Smith Slim Smith (born Keith Smith; 1948 in Kingston, Jamaica – 1972) was a ska, rocksteady and reggae singer. In their book ''Reggae: The Rough Guide'' (1997), Steve Barrow and Peter Dalton described Smith as "the greatest vocalist to emerge ...

left The Techniques, Kelly was brought in to replace him,Hamilton, Andrew
Pat Kelly Biography
,

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...

. Retrieved 17 August 2019 recording for Duke Reid in the

era when Reid's Treasure Isle studio/label was dominating Jamaican music. Kelly's

falsetto ''Falsetto'' (, ; Italian diminutive of , "false") is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentou ...

voice, strongly influenced by the American soul singer

Sam Cooke Samuel Cook (January 22, 1931 – December 11, 1964), known professionally as Sam Cooke, was an American singer and songwriter. Considered to be a pioneer and one of the most influential soul artists of all time, Cooke is commonly referred ...

, in combination with

Winston Riley Winston Riley (14 May 1943 – 19 January 2012) was a Jamaican singer, songwriter and record producer. The ''Jamaica Gleaner'' notes he was one of the most successful reggae producers.

and

Bruce Ruffin Bruce Ruffin (born 17 February 1952)Moskowitz, David V. (2006) ''Caribbean Popular Music: an Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady, and Dancehall'', Greenwood Press, , p.260 is a Jamaican rocksteady and reggae artist. Biography Ruff ...

, maintained the success that The Techniques had enjoyed with Smith. The Techniques first record with Kelly, "You Don't Care", adapted from

Curtis Mayfield Curtis Lee Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer, and one of the most influential musicians behind soul and politically conscious African-American music.

's "You'll Want Me Back", spent six weeks at number one in the Jamaican singles chart, and was followed by further hits.

Solo career

In 1968, Kelly went solo again, working again with Lee, and recording another Mayfield cover, "Little Boy Blue". He also recorded for

Phil Pratt Phil Pratt, born George Phillips (born 1942 in Kingston, Jamaica)Thompson, Dave (2002), ''Reggae & Caribbean Music'', Backbeat Books, , p. 316. is a Jamaican reggae singer and record producer. Career Phil Pratt worked at Studio One for Coxsone ...

.Black, Roy (2019)
Remembering Singer Pat Kelly
, ''

Jamaica Gleaner ''The Gleaner'' is an English-language, morning daily newspaper founded by two brothers, Jacob and Joshua de Cordova on 13 September 1834 in Kingston, Jamaica. Originally called the ''Daily Gleaner'', the name was changed on 7 December 1992 to ' ...

'', 21 July 2019. Retrieved 17 August 2019 Kelly's "How Long Will It Take" was the biggest-selling Jamaican single of 1969, and was the first Jamaican record to feature a string arrangement, which was

overdubbed Overdubbing (also known as layering) is a technique used in audio recording in which audio tracks that have been pre-recorded are then played back and monitored, while simultaneously recording new, doubled, or augmented tracks onto one or more av ...

when it was released in the United Kingdom on the Palmer Brothers' ''Gas'' label. An album followed, the

Lee "Scratch" Perry Lee "Scratch" Perry (born Rainford Hugh Perry; 20 March 1936 – 29 August 2021) was a Jamaican record producer, composer and singer noted for his innovative studio techniques and production style. Perry was a pioneer in the 1970s development o ...

-engineered ''Pat Kelley Sings'' (sic), and Kelly was offered a £25,000 contract by

Apple Records Apple Records is a record label founded by the Beatles in 1968 as a division of Apple Corps Ltd. It was initially intended as a creative outlet for the Beatles, both as a group and individually, plus a selection of other artists including Mar ...

, which he was unable to accept due to existing contractual commitments. Kelly continued to record, having a big hits for producer

in 1972 with "Soulful Love" and "Talk About Love", and returning to record with Duke Reid, having another hit with a cover of

John Denver Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. (December 31, 1943 – October 12, 1997), known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, actor, activist, and humanitarian whose greatest commercial success was as a solo singe ...

's "Sunshine". He fell back on his earlier training, working as an engineer at several studios including Channel One and

King Tubby Osbourne Ruddock (28 January 1941 – 6 February 1989), better known as King Tubby, was a Jamaican sound engineer who greatly influenced the development of dub in the 1960s and 1970s. Tubby's innovative studio work, which saw him elevate the ...

's. He also moved into production, producing his own ''Youth and Youth'' album in 1978, and co-producing (with Holt) John Holt's ''The Impressable John Holt (Disco Mix)'' album in 1979. The late 1970s and early 1980s saw Kelly recording more regularly again, and he continued to record occasionally in the years that followed. In the 1990s he was a member of a reformed Techniques, along with

Lloyd Parks Lloyd Parks (born 26 May 1949) is a Jamaican reggae vocalist and bass player who has recorded and performed as a solo artist as well as part of Skin, Flesh & Bones, The Revolutionaries, The Professionals, and We the People Band.Larkin, Colin: ...

and Johnny Johnson. He continued to perform internationally up to 2018. Kelly died on 16 July 2019, aged 74, from complications of kidney disease.Campbell, Howard (2019)
Singer Pat Kelly is dead
, ''

'', 16 July 2019. Retrieved 16 July 2019 He was survived by widow Ingrid, one son (Shawn) and four daughters (Cheryl, Pamela, Padeane, & Terri-Ann). He is buried at Dovecot Memorial Park and Crematory in St. Catherine.

Discography

Studio albums

* ''Pat Kelley Sings'' (1969), Pama * ''Give Love a Try'' (1978), Third World * ''Youth and Youth'' (1978), Live & Love * ''Lonely Man'' (1978), Burning Sounds * ''Lovers Rock'' (1979), Third World (with

Johnny Clarke Johnny Clarke (born 12 January 1955) is a Jamaican reggae musician, best known for his recordings with producer Bunny Lee in the 1970s. Biography Clarke grew up in the Kingston ghetto of Whitfield Town and attended Jamaica College.Hortense Ellis Hortense Ellis (18 April 1941 – 19 October 2000) was a reggae musician, and the younger sister of fellow artist Alton Ellis.Jackpot, KGLP003).

Compilation albums

* ''The Best of Pat Kelly'' (1983), Vista Sounds * ''Butterflies'', Sonic Sounds * ''Classic Hits of Pat Kelly'' (1995), Rhino * ''Classics'' (199?), Super Power * ''Soulful Love - The Best Of'' (1997),

Trojan Trojan or Trojans may refer to: * Of or from the ancient city of Troy * Trojan language, the language of the historical Trojans Arts and entertainment Music * ''Les Troyens'' ('The Trojans'), an opera by Berlioz, premiered part 1863, part 189 ...

(Pat Kelly & Friends) * ''The Vintage Series'' (2000), VP * ''Sings Classical Hits Galore'', Striker Lee

References

External links

Pat Kelly at Roots Archives
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly, Pat 1944 births 2019 deaths Musicians from Kingston, Jamaica Jamaican reggae musicians Afro-Jamaican Deaths from kidney disease Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni