Bio
Shorter Bio:
Kelly Riley is an Award-Winning Songwriter and a seasoned Singer, Multi-Instrumentalist, and Performer. She has opened for Willie Nelson and Lyle Lovett, and received a Finalist award in the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) Song Contest.
Kelly holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Berklee College of Music, is a Berklee College of Music online instructor, an experienced Vocal, Songwriting, and Performance coach, and a Guitar, Bass, and Piano instructor.
Songs from Kelly's CD's: "Live and You Learn", "County Line", "The Songs of Rich Sokolow and Kelly Riley", and various other projects have been featured on commercials, TV, and streaming, including: "Mission Impossible", "The Young and the Restless", and the popular Brazilian telenovela "Pega Pega".
Riley currently resides, teaches, and performs in Nashville, TN.
Awards:
Top Winner: Nashville Songwriter's Association International Competition
Semi-Finalist: International Songwriting Competition
Honors Award Winner: Great American Songwriting Contest
Bronze Medal: Global Music Awards
Finalist: CT Folk Fest Songwriting Competition
Finalist: Lilith Fair Competition
Songwriting Award: Berklee College of Music
Songwriting Award: ASCAP
Finalist: Boston Acoustic Underground Series
Grand Prize: Providence Song Slam
Performance Award: No. California Songwriter's Association
Longer Bio:
Kelly Riley was born in Albany, NY and grew up in Old Saybrook, CT. One of her early musical memories was not unlike that of many other American kids; singing songs in the car on family road trips: : "I used to try and teach my little sister to sing harmonies with me. I think we were about 4 and 5. I have to admit, she got a little frustrated with me", she says smiling. Kelly moved on to singing for hours at a time by herself in the family's refinished basement: "I would sing and act out scenes from musicals like 'Funny Girl' and pretend I was performing in front of lots of people". At 13, she fell in love with playing the guitar after she borrowed her brother's and couldn't bear to give it back. She began writing songs about the same time: "I didn't study how to do it and I didn't process it much, I just knew I wanted to express myself through music. I had already been writing a lot of poetry and singing any chance I got, so when I started playing guitar, it was a natural progression for the songs to begin to flow. "
Kelly did eventually go on to study: Composition, Arranging, Recording, Production and Voice at the legendary Berklee College of Music in Boston. There she began the steady process of gaining more knowledge and experience as a singer and songwriter and performed with bands across the genres of Pop, Rock, Jazz, Dance, in the varied settings of clubs, cabarets, theaters, weddings and cafes. She eventually hit the singer/songwriter scene and knew she had found a home.
From the beginning, Riley garnered recognition. Her first time out on the competition circuit, she picked up a Finalist Award from the Boston Acoustic Underground Series. After that, the awards and accolades kept rolling in: Finalist/Lilith Fair, Songwriting Award/Berklee College of Music, Grand Prize/Providence Song Slam/, Top Prize/Nashville Songwriter's Association Competition, Performance Award/Northern California Songwriter's Association , Songwriting Award/ASCAP, Artist Feature/Berklee's Heavy Rotation Records Compilation, Honorable Mention/Great American Song Contest and then, opening shows for Willie Nelson and Lyle Lovett and having her songs placed on national and international TV programs, including: "Mission Impossible", "The Young and the Restless", and the Brazilian telenovela, "Pega Pega".
In her work as an award-winning songwriter, and accomplished performer, vocalist, songwriter, guitar, bass, and piano player, Kelly Riley has become a polished, respected, and recognized musical tour de force. And as she adds to her ever-increasing songwriting and performing schedule, Riley's career continues to gain more depth and cover new ground.