The daughter of an opera singer and a world travelling saxophone playing airline pilot, Kelly Hunt was raised in Memphis, TN, and grew up performing other people’s works through piano lessons, singing in choirs, and performing theater. During her teenage years, influenced by musical inspirations as diverse as Norah Jones, Rachmaninov, and John Denver, she began writing her own songs on the piano. Introduced to the banjo in college while studying French and visual arts, Kelly began developing her own improvised style of playing, combining old-time picking styles with the percussive origins of the instrument. After college, Hunt rambled through short careers in acting, graphic design, traditional French breadmaking, and medicine, all the while privately making music.
I met Kelly shortly after her move to Kansas City and her discovery and subsequent acquisition of the mysterious Depression-era tenor banjo she has named Ira. In short order I invited Kelly on to my Tasty Brew Music Radio Show where she has become a regular fixture. It has been an honor and privilege to get to know this young woman as she navigates the lyrical life she has chosen… Her inaugural effort Evan the Sparrow, produced by Hunt and Kelly Werts, has garnered critical acclaim from the likes of Rolling Stone Country, No Depression and many others and includes her friend and talented musical partner, Stas Heaney. Kelly is well read and well spoken. I recently welcomed her to my home one morning where we sat down and talked about a wide range of subjects. I hope you enjoy this conversation and musical interlude with “Banjo” Kelly Hunt.
