Paul Maurice Kelly (born 13 January 1955) is an Australian rock music singer-songwriter and guitarist. He has performed solo, and has led numerous groups, including the Dots, the Coloured Girls, and the Messengers. He has worked with other artists and groups, including associated projects Professor Ratbaggy and Stardust Five. Kelly's music style has ranged from bluegrass to studio-oriented dub reggae, but his core output straddles folk, rock and country. His lyrics capture the vastness of the culture and landscape of Australia by chronicling life about him for almost 50 years. David Fricke from Rolling Stone calls Kelly "one of the finest songwriters I have ever heard, Australian or otherwise". was born on 13 January 1955 in Adelaide, to John Erwin Kelly, a lawyer, and Josephine (née Filippini), the sixth of eight surviving children. Another brother, Tony, a drug and alcohol counsellor, ran as an Australian Greens candidate in the 2001 and 2004 federal elections. He released another compilation album in November 2019, covering 1985–2019, Songs from the South: 1985-2019. In September 2019, he performed at the MCG in the pre-game show at the 2019 AFL Grand Final Day.

On 5 February 2020, Kelly released a single titled, "Sleep, Australia, Sleep". The song addresses Australia's response to climate change. Before the release of the single, the lyrics were published by The Sydney Morning Herald, with Kelly describing the song as "a lament in the form of a lullaby. Paradoxically, it can also be heard as a wake up call - a critique of the widespread attitude amongst humans that we are the most important life form on the planet."

In September 2021, Kelly released a song inspired by Australian Rules footballer Eddie Betts and his battle with racism, titled "Every Step of the Way". On 19 November 2021, Kelly released his twenty-eighth studio album, Paul Kelly's Christmas Train.

In July 2023, Kelly released a book and song titled, "Khawaja", inspired by Usman Khawaja.

In November 2023, Kelly was inducted into the South Australian Music Awards Hall of Fame.

In 2024, Kelly released Fever Longing Still, his twenty-ninth studio album. The album's title is lifted from William Shakespeare's Sonnet 147. Upon announcement on 1 August 2024, Kelly said "There has been a long gap since the last album of new songs and I realise now that this record is a bit like Gossip, an album with a long gestation where the songs are all quite different to each other in style."

In December 2024, a film adaptation of Kelly's song "How to Make Gravy" was released under the same name. The film expands the storyline and characters of the original song, and was produced on the Gold Coast, Queensland. Kelly made a cameo appearance in the film as a bus driver.

thumb|right|Death notice in [[The Age for the character Joe, before the release of Rita Wrote a Letter]]In August 2025, Kelly announced a new album titled Seventy and released a single from the album titled "Rita Wrote a Letter". This song continues the story of "How to Make Gravy", set many years later. He also announced a tour that will begin in the same month. Shortly before the single's release, Kelly took out a death notice for the character Joe in "How to Make Gravy". The music video for "Rita Wrote a Letter" starred Australian actress Justine Clarke as Rita and Kelly himself as the ghost of deceased Joe.

Musical style and songwriting

thumb|Kelly with a harmonica in a cradle, Chill Island Festival, [[Phillip Island, November 2007|alt=Kelly standing at a microphone, he is shown in right profile, wearing a harmonica in a cradle and staring into the distance.]]

Paul Kelly has been acknowledged as one of Australia's best singer-songwriters.

Kelly was in a relationship with Sian Prior, a journalist, university lecturer and opera singer, from 2002 to 2011.

thumb|Paul Kelly (at right) and his nephew, [[Dan Kelly (musician)|Dan Kelly, performing at Rockwood Music Hall in September 2011|alt=A man at left is playing an electric guitar, while 56-year-old Kelly plays his acoustic guitar. Both are looking down towards their own guitar, each uses a plectrum in their right hand while the left is on the fret board. In front of each is a microphone on its stand.]]

Kelly's brother, Martin, is the father of Dan Kelly, a singer-guitarist.

Bibliography

Paul Kelly has written, co-written or edited the following: <small>(with Paul Grabowsky)</small> (2020)

  • Paul Kelly's Christmas Train (2021)
  • Fever Longing Still (2024)
  • Seventy (2025)

In film

Paul Kelly: Stories of Me (1 October 2012) is an Australian documentary film directed by Ian Darling, by Shark Island Productions.

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  • "From Little Things Big Things Grow" Audio sample and description at Australian Screen.