Mark Kelly (keyboardist) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mark Kelly
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Kelly with Marillion at the Lieder am See Festival in Spalt, Germany, in 2016
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Mark Colbert Kelly |
| Born | 9 April 1961 Dublin, Ireland |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Keyboard |
| Years active | 1980–present |
Mark Colbert Kelly, born in 1961, is a talented keyboard player from Ireland. He is a key member of the famous band Marillion, known for their progressive rock music.
Contents
Mark Kelly's Early Life
Mark Kelly was born on April 9, 1961. He grew up in Ireland. In 1969, when he was eight years old, he moved to England with his family.
Starting His Music Career
Before becoming a full-time musician, Mark studied electronics. He also played keyboards part-time in a band called Chemical Alice. This band played progressive and psychedelic music. They released a short album, called an EP, in 1981.
Mark joined Marillion in December 1981. He was asked to join after Marillion played a show with Chemical Alice. He replaced their first keyboard player. Mark has played on every single studio album Marillion has ever made.
He also worked with other musicians. For example, he played on albums by John Wesley in 1994 and Jump in 1995.
Playing with Other Bands
Mark has also performed with other popular bands.
- In 2005, he played keyboards for Travis at big music events. These included the Isle of Wight Festival and T in the Park.
- In 2011, he played on the Edison's Children album In The Last Waking Moments.... He even sang on one song, The Awakening, with other musicians.
Inventing Crowdfunding for Music
Mark Kelly is famous for helping to create a new way to fund music. This is called crowdfunding.
- In 1997, Marillion fans helped pay for a tour of the United States.
- Building on this idea, Mark helped the band raise money from fans to record their 2001 album, Anoraknophobia.
- This idea of fans funding music projects was new and exciting. Many other music artists have copied it since then.
Mark also helped musicians in other ways.
- He became a leader in the Featured Artists Coalition. This group helps musicians with their rights in the digital world. He was a director until 2018.
- From 2009 to 2020, Mark was also a director for PPL. This organization helps make sure musicians get paid when their music is played.
Recent Projects
In 2016, Mark was a guest keyboard player on the Ayreon album The Source.
In September 2020, Mark started his own solo band called Mark Kelly's Marathon. They released their first song, "Amelia," that month. Their first full album came out in November 2020.
