The Kelly Family biography

 

The Kelly Family was an Irish-American-European music group consisting of a multi-generational family, usually consisting of nine siblings joined occasionally on stage in their earlier years by their father and mother. They played a repertoire of rock, pop, and folk music. They had chart and concert success around the world, especially in Germany, the Benelux countries, Scandinavia, Poland, Spain and Portugal. They have sold over 20 million albums since the early 1980s. The Kelly Family was ranked as the 6th most popular music act in Germany in the 1990s. Despite its American origins, the group is virtually unknown in the United States. They sang in English, Spanish, and German.

For many years, the group presented a ragamuffin image and a vagabonding lifestyle, travelling around Europe in a double-decker bus and houseboat. Their image was enhanced by their eclectic and often homemade clothing, and the very long hair worn by both male and female members of the band. The Kelly Family began to break up in 2000 and afterwards they performed mostly as individuals or sub-sets of the full group and took on a more mainstream look.