Bridget Kelly

Bridget Kelly (also known as Bridget Kelly Fik) is the lead vocalist of the Bridget Kelly Band. She is a contemporary blues and folk singer who currently resides in the city of Gainesville, Florida. Born on September 20, 1962, in Hudson, Wisconsin, Bridget grew up in Prescott, Wisconsin; a town located at the confluence of the mighty Mississippi River and the St. Croix River. As a youth, she was active in choir and church singing and began her professional music career in the late 1990s as a Florida Folk singer after establishing residence in north-central Florida.

Bridget performed numerous times at the Florida Folk Festival and other folk/Americana festivals throughout the Sunshine State. A decade of songwriting and recording led to the release of “Do You Remember?” in 2008 – an all-original folk/folk-rock album.

Bridget’s transition to “the blues” began with the release of “Unclassifiable” (2012) on Alpha Sun Records (an Independent Label); an album containing an eclectic mix of original songs that explored her folk, rock, and blues roots. The transition continued with the release of “Back in the Blues” in May of 2013; a record that placed her on the Roots Music Radio Top-50 Blues chart and gained her recognition as a blues singer from airplay on National Public Radio and Internet-based radio stations. The year 2013 also marked the formation of the Bridget Kelly Band – a blues/blues-rock band, with husband, producer, and guitarist Tim Fik.

Inspired by classic & electric blues, the Bridget Kelly Band placed their unique stamp on the blues-rock genre; with high-energy live performances and a hybrid sound that mixes Texas Blues with various Southern Folk and Blues traditions. The sultry vocals of singer Bridget Kelly and incendiary lead guitar work of Tim Fik forge a signature sound that combines female urban blues with dynamic riff-driven blues; all held together by a rugged rhythm section that features Mike Hamm on the Fender bass and Michael Barady on drums.

With the recent release of their "Forever in Blues" CD in June of 2014, Bridget Kelly gained serious media attention and favorable reviews from music critics in the U.S. and U.K. The “Forever in Blues” album, which contained all original songs, was a top-4 pick by the International Blues Broadcasters Association (IBBA) in August of 2014; and charted regularly on the Roots Music Report (RMR) Top-50 Blues chart from mid-August through October (reaching the #14 spot, the week ending October 20th). The "Forever in Blues" CD also climbed to #2 on the State of Florida RMR chart and reached #1 on the Blues Debut chart, two weeks running (week ending October 6th); not to mention numerous Top-10 charting weeks on Chef Jimi Patricola’s Blues411.com. Music from the Bridget Kelly Band has reached the playlists of DJs hosting syndicated Blues Radio shows around the globe; as well as Sirius-XM radio (B.B. King’s Bluesville).

Playing the clubs and festivals throughout the Southeast, the Bridget Kelly Band has shared the stage and the bill with numerous regional and national blues touring acts including Albert Castiglia, BMA award-winning bassist Biscuit Miller, the Jeff Jensen Band, Lauren Mitchell, Selwyn Birchwood, Brandon Santini, and Billboard charting artist Victor Wainwright. On September 7th, 2014, the Bridget Kelly Band won the North Central Florida Blues Society (NCFBS) Blues Challenge. The group will represent the NCFBS at the International Blues Challenge (IBC) in Memphis, in January 2015; bringing their show and original music to the clubs on Beale Street 

(Courtesy of Bridget Kelly)