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Kelly Joe Phelps - October 5, 1959 – May 31, 2022

Kelly Joe Phelps grew up in Sumner, Washington, a blue-collar farming
town. He learned country and folk songs from his father. He began
playing guitar at age twelve.

In his early days, Phelps considered himself to be a jazz musician
and cited his heroes as Ornette Coleman, Miles Davis, and John
Coltrane.

Kelly Joe was, at that time, principally a bass player but earlier in his life he had
learned guitar, piano and drums. His ‘conversion’ to the blues

took place when he heard Mississippi Fred McDowell and the
raw blues of Robert Pete Williams .

After his encounter with the blues he took to playing guitar

‘lap-steel’ style, laid flat on his knees, and fretting the strings
with a metal bar (slide or tone-bar).

Between 1994 and 2013 he made 11 albums and participated

in recordings made by a large number of outstanding
musicians including Rory Block, Martin Simpson and Townes
Van Zandt.

In 2014 he announced his withdrawal from
touring, principally as a consequence of
ulnar neuropathy in his right hand and

arm. Ulnar neuropathy is a
physiological condition that
causes tingling and weakness in the
affected arm as a consequence of a

trapped ulnar nerve a condition brought about by a range of events including trauma and
repetitive stress.

Kelly Joe’s longtime friend and producer, Canadian guitarist Steve Dawson. Dawson

announced the former’s passing and said, ““I saw him go from a lap guitar-wielding bluesman,
to a hardcore troubadour, to an avant-garde improviser, to a pretty monstrous flatpicker,
banjo frailer, and finally finding some peace and inspiration on bottleneck slide guitar. It was

always a wild ride and he never took the easy path.”

Kelly Joe Phelps died at his home in Iowa. He was 62.

Ian K McKenzie