Emma Kelly
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| Emma Kelly | |
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| File:Emma Kelly.png
Emma Kelly (at the piano) and Nancy Hillis in 1994
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| Background information | |
| Born | December 17, 1918 Statesboro, Georgia |
| Died | Error: Need valid death date (first date): year, month, day Savannah, Georgia |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Piano |
| Years active | 1940s–1980s |
Emma Thompson Kelly (December 17, 1918 – January 17, 2001) was an American musician. Known as the "Lady of 6,000 Songs",[1] she appeared in both John Berendt's 1994 book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and its 1997 movie adaptation.
Her nickname was given to her by Johnny Mercer, who — after challenging her to play numerous songs he named — estimated she knew 6,000 songs from memory.[2]
Personal life
Kelly was married to George Kelly for 47 years — from 1936 until his death from a heart attack in 1983 at the age of 70.[2] Together, they had ten children.[1]
With Joe Odom, Kelly was a co-owner of the short-lived Emma's piano bar in an old cotton warehouse on Savannah's River Street. The bar was forced to closed after Odom squandered its earnings. "He could do you wrong. And he did me wrong," Kelly said in 1997. "But I miss Joe. I get a little teary-eyed thinking about him. He had a flair for coming up with good ideas."[3]
As of 1994, she was performing weekly sittings at Hard-Hearted Hannah's East, above the Pirates' House in Savannah, Georgia.[4]
Death
Kelly died on January 17, 2001, from a liver ailment. She was 82.[1]
Accolades
Kelly was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in 1998.[5] She performed at the event.[6]
References
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<references />, or <references group="..." />External links
- Emma Kelly at the Internet Movie Database
- Emma Thompson Kelly at FindAGrave.com
- Emma Kelly - Statesboro - YouTube, May 7, 2010
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- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Emma Kelly, 82, 'Lady of 6,000 Songs'" - New York Times, January 29, 2001
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Our 'Mrs. Emma'" - Statesboro Herald, October 18, 2015
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Georgia Music Hall of Fame inductee list
- ↑ "Emma's acceptance piano speech Emma Kelly Ga Music Hall of Fame" - YouTube, October 26, 2014
- Pages with reference errors
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- 1918 births
- 2001 deaths
- People from Statesboro, Georgia
- 20th-century American women pianists
- 20th-century American pianists
- 21st-century American women pianists
- 21st-century American pianists
