Origin Van Nuys, California Years active 2006 – present | Name Emmett Kelly Role Singer | |
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Genres Folk, Rock, Experimental Associated acts The Cairo Gang, Bonnie "Prince" Billy, The Surf, The Sundried, Psychojail Similar The Dry Spells, The Cairo Gang, Pillars and Tongues, Tim Cohen, Sonny Smith |
Emmett kelly where are you tonight live at mccabe s
Emmett Kelly is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist from Van Nuys, California. He is the primary songwriter and recording artist of The Cairo Gang, and has contributed vocal and instrumental work to a variety of international musical projects, appearing on recordings by the likes of Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Azita, Joan of Arc, Angel Olsen, Edith Frost, Women and Children, John Webster Johns, Jeff Harms, Chicago poet/singer Marvin Tate, Matteah Baim, Japanese musician Takuma Watanabe, and Joshua Abrams. Kelly has toured in several of the aforementioned acts in addition to with Sonny Smith, Baby Dee, Beth Orton, and Terry Reid; and in other instances, performed live with Scott Tuma, Joan of Arc, and Pillars and Tongues. He is also one half of the band The Surf, The Sundried, and a founding member of Chicago's Psychojail.
Contents
- Emmett kelly where are you tonight live at mccabe s
- Emmett kelly sweeping up the spotlight gag 1967
- Music
- The Cairo Gang
- Ty Segall
- Collaborations
- Compilations
- References

In 2016, Kelly was a member of garage rock musician Ty Segall's backing band The Muggers, formed following the release of the studio album, Emotional Mugger. Continuing to work with Segall, Kelly contributed to the recording of his ninth studio album, Ty Segall (2017), and is currently a member of his backing band, The Freedom Band.

Emmett kelly sweeping up the spotlight gag 1967
Music
Emmett’s primary focus is his band, The Cairo Gang, which released its self-titled debut album on Narnack Records in 2006. The Disneyland Reform Party, a label started by Kelly and New York artist, Stasiu Tokarski, released 2008’s Twyxt Wyrd, which was subsequently released as a limited edition LP by Sheffield, UK’s The Blackest Rainbow. Following Twyxt Wyrd, Kelly released the home recorded Holy Clover EP on San Francisco’s Empty Cellar Records and Coventry, UK’s Tin Angel.
The Cairo Gang has toured with notable acts such as The Fall, OCS, Baby Dee, and Pillars and Tongues.
Kelly has been a frequent collaborator of Will Oldham’s (A.K.A. Bonnie “Prince” Billy), and has lent his vocals and guitar to his recordings and performances since Oldham’s 2006 album, The Letting Go. In 2010 Drag City released the critically acclaimed album, The Wonder Show of the World, which featured compositional work by Kelly as The Cairo Gang, along with the single, Midday/You Win, and the 10’’, Island Brothers/New Wonder.