Kelly Richey

Early life

Kelly Richey was born and raised in Lexington, Kentucky, United States, in a conservative Christian household that avoided rock music. Her first instrument was the piano. Her second instrument was a drum kit that her neighbor let her take home. After a couple of months of playing drums in her bedroom, her father offered to buy her anything she wanted; she chose the guitar. She started learning guitar at age 15; she reached a point where she was practicing 12 hours a day.

Career

Kelly Richey joined the Arista Records group Stealin' Horses in 1986. In 1990, she formed The Kelly Richey Band (KRB). In 1997 she moved from Lexington to Mount Auburn, Cincinnati. Writing of her 2001 album Sending Me Angels, Guitar Player praised her "fiery solos" and her "fast, powerful picking hand", which she credited to having played as a drummer. She cites Roy Buchanan as an influence, besides Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimi Hendrix. She released eleven albums between 1994 and 2008. Her 2006 album Speechless consisted entirely of instrumentals.

Equipment

Richey plays a Fender Stratocaster, the same she has played since the 1980s. It has a 1963 body and a 1965 neck, with a traditional Fender tremolo; the pickups are Seymour Duncan and she uses SIT strings (.10-.046). She plays through a Fender Super Reverb with an Ibanez Tube Screamer.