Cletus Kennelly and Lori Kelley
Lori Kelley met Cletus Kennelly at the Mid-Atlantic Song Contest awards ceremony in 2000. That's when a musical, nay, “harmonial” plan hatched in her mind to convince Cletus, or possibly trick him, into forming a heady Folk/Pop duo. Not easily persuaded (being immune to brainwashing and hypnotism), Cletus reluctantly agreed.
Soon he could hear the wisdom in Lori's folky little scheme. Nearly 1,000 shows, 3 CDs, 46 Washington Area Music Association Award (Wammies) nominations, and 11 Wammies later (including individual awards for Songwriter of the Year ) they are still playing strong in the mid-Atlantic region. Cletus and Lori's harmonies have been compared to Simon & Garfunkel and the Indigo Girls. They enchant both older and younger audiences alike with spellbinding harmonies and meaningful lyrics.
Cletus and Lori blend their original songs into a delightful and very personal show. Highlights of their nine-year journey have been repeated performances at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage, Carter Barron Amphitheatre, Falcon Ridge Emerging Artist Showcase, Rehoboth Beach Bandstand, Montgomery County July 4 Celebration, Columbia Lakefront, and being invited to perform for American Veterans at Piestewa Peak in Phoenix, AZ, honoring the family of Pfc. Lori Piestewa, the first Native American service woman to die in combat.
“I haven't heard harmonies this tight since Simon & Garfunkel” (Gene Dawson, Dawson Concerts)
Richard Harrington of The Washington Post writes, “What's better than a good singer-songwriter? Two singer-songwriters whose meshed voices seem built for close harmony.”