Tom Kelly (musician)

American musician, songwriter

Tom Kelly

Performing at the 2011 ASCAP concert[1]

Background information
Born|  (1952-04-16) April 16, 1952 (age 72)
Indiana, U.S.
Occupations|

* Songwriter
* musician

Musical artist

Thomas F. Kelly (born April 16, 1952) is an American musician. With Billy Steinberg he co-wrote numerous hit songs for popular music artists, including five number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the 1980s.

## Early life

[edit]

Originally from Indiana, Kelly lived in Effingham, Illinois from 1963 to 1966, before moving back to West Lafayette, Indiana where he graduated from West Lafayette High School in 1967.[2][3] Kelly attended Eastern Illinois University, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and Purdue University, but dropped out of college to pursue his music career.[2] He played bass guitar and sang in several bands throughout Illinois and Indiana in the late 1960s and early 1970s, including the Trifaris, the Gaping Huggers, the One Eyed Jacks, and the Guild.[2][4]

In 1974 Kelly moved to Los Angeles with his first wife, Kay Kelly, and two children, Barry and Denise. He played in Dan Fogelberg's backup band, and joined with other members of the band under the name 'Fools Gold' to release two albums in 1976 and 1977. Kelly became a prominent session singer in Los Angeles, singing backing vocals for many recording artists. He accompanied Toto on their 1979 World Tour as a backing vocalist and rhythm guitarist, and sang background vocals on the Toto albums Toto IV, Isolation, and The Seventh One.

## Songwriting

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In 1981 Kelly wrote his first hit song, "Fire and Ice", with Pat Benatar for her album Precious Time.

After Kelly met Billy Steinberg at a party in 1981, the duo began writing songs together, with Steinberg as lyricist and Kelly the principal music writer. Steinberg and Kelly wrote songs for a variety of popular music artists, including five number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The pair also joined together as i-Ten to release the album Taking a Cold Look in 1983.

Songs written by Steinberg and Kelly include:

* "True Colors", recorded by Cyndi Lauper and by Phil Collins
* "Alone", originally recorded by his band i-Ten, re-recorded by Heart and by Celine Dion
* "In Your Room", recorded by The Bangles (co-written with Susanna Hoffs)
* "Eternal Flame", recorded by The Bangles (co-written with Susanna Hoffs)
* "I Drove All Night", recorded by Cyndi Lauper, by Roy Orbison and by Celine Dion
* "I'll Stand by You", recorded by The Pretenders (co-written with Chrissie Hynde)
* "I Touch Myself", recorded by Divinyls (co-written with Christina Amphlett and Mark McEntee)
* "Like a Virgin", recorded by Madonna
* "So Emotional", recorded by Whitney Houston

Kelly co-wrote "In My Dreams", recorded by REO Speedwagon, with Kevin Cronin.

## Later life

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Kelly lost enthusiasm for songwriting in the mid-1990s and went into semi-retirement in 1998. He remarried and had two more children. He lives in Thousand Oaks, California.[2]

Steinberg and Kelly were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2011.[5]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Padua, Pat (May 12, 2011). "Pic(s) of the Week: They Write the Songs Edition". Library of Congress - In the Muse: Performing Arts Blog. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
2. ^ a b c d Grimes, Bill (March 26, 2011). "Into the Hall of Fame". Effingham Daily News. Archived from the original on January 21, 2013. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
3. ^ Brouk, Tim (June 30, 2011). "Hitmaking West Lafayette grad honored for songwriting". Journal & Courier.
4. ^ "The Great Hollywood Hangover: Champaign Part Two". Retrieved August 28, 2011.
5. ^ "News - Songwriters Hall of Fame". Songhall.org. Retrieved April 15, 2018.

## External links

[edit]

* Songfacts interview with Billy Steinberg
* Tyson Kelly Spotify page

* v
* t
* e

Toto

* Steve Lukather
* Joseph Williams
* David Paich
* Greg Phillinganes

* Steve Porcaro
* David Hungate
* Bobby Kimball
* Jeff Porcaro
* Mike Porcaro
* Fergie Frederiksen
* Jean-Michel Byron
* Simon Phillips
* Keith Carlock

Studio albums|

* Toto
* Hydra
* Turn Back
* Toto IV
* Isolation
* Fahrenheit
* The Seventh One
* Kingdom of Desire
* Tambu
* Mindfields
* Through the Looking Glass
* Falling in Between
* Toto XIV
* Old Is New

Live albums|

* Absolutely Live
* Livefields
* Live in Amsterdam
* Falling in Between Live

Compilation albums|

* Past to Present 1977–1990
* Best Ballads
* Toto XX
* The Essential Toto
* 40 Trips Around the Sun

Soundtracks|

* Dune

Notable songs|

* "Hold the Line"
* "I'll Supply the Love"
* "Georgy Porgy"
* "99"
* "Live for Today"
* "Rosanna"
* "Make Believe"
* "Africa"
* "I Won't Hold You Back"
* "Waiting for Your Love"
* "Stranger in Town"
* "I'll Be Over You"
* "Stop Loving You"
* "Pamela"
* "I Will Remember"
* "Bottom of Your Soul"
* "Holy War"

Related people|

* Lenny Castro
* Warren Ham
* Nathan East
* Boz Scaggs
* Tony Spinner
* Leland Sklar
* Shannon Forrest

Related articles|

* Discography
* Members

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF

National|

* Germany
* United States
* Czech Republic
* Spain
* Israel

Artists|

* MusicBrainz

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