Kelly Mann – guitar and vocals; Thomas Mann - piano, Rhodes and Hammond organ and guitar; Bill Crock – guitar and mandolin; Phil Roach – drums; Scott Beardsley – bass;
Contact: booking@melodymann.com
Influences
Sheryl Crow, Janis Joplin, Bonnie Raitt, Bonnie Bramlett, Joni Mitchell, Rickie Lee Jones, Dusty Springfield, Joan Armatrading, Ella Fitzgerald, Little Feat, Bob Schneider and numerous Texas artists.
Sounds Like
Sounds like rock n roll, country, blues and sometimes even jazz. Everyone hears something different!
Here's what others are saying......
"'Hard Road', Melody Mann's debut CD is a telling example of this groups multiple talents and extraordinary versatility. Head vocalist, Kelly Williams-Mann, has a strong, compelling voice that grips the listener, seizes the emotions and pleases the ear. Add to that the awesome keyboards by Thomas Mann and some other very smooth musical accomplishment and you can see why the sky is the limit for this talented group from Austin." - Brenda Barbee, Roots Music Report
"Strong, powerful, and true to the core, the Melody Mann sound is undeniably Texan as they lean from sultry to roadhouse with the greatest of ease. Sure to become a Texas music mainstay, this group is ready to rock - Melody Mann style." - Lucky Boyd, My Texas Music
"(Kelly Mann) is a natural. The delivery in her voice sounds effortless." - Don Coleman, A/R Group International
Kelly Williams-Mann's strong, rich voice sounds flawless whether it has a Texas twang or a New Orleans blues feel......Melody Mann's versatile sound on its debut album could be just what the band needs to become a new Austin 'it' band. - Katie Reed, The University Star, Texas State University
"Thomas Mann may be the next big thing in keyboard players in Austin....Kelly has a Bobbie Gentry quality that we want more and more....in short, Kelly can growl!" - Duggan Flanakin, Flanfire Web Blog
Kelly Mann was a 2007 Texas Music Award Nominee in the category of "Female Vocalist of the Year". Click on the link below to find out more about The Texas Music Awards.
Check out the new ATX Fest Podcast on ITunes and download two live performances from Melody Mann. Click the ATX Fest icon below. It's free!
Listen to the songs below 3 times for free. Purchase the ones you like for only $0.99 - we even start you off with $5.00 for free. Earn money by sharing these songs with friends too! When you play a song your Windows-Media compatible music player will automatically launch. For a list of compatible players and additional help go to Austin Online Music's FAQ.
Some time to Get Together (Reprise) play | download
Click Here
BIO:
Kelly Williams-Mann has been writing and performing a "blend of blues, rock and jazz with a little Texas twang" for the last 11 years. But Kelly was somewhat of a late bloomer. After entertaining audiences in theater, recitals and other events as a very small child, Kelly took a long hiatus and pursued a career in corporate wellness that took her from Texas, to Pennsylvania, to Connecticut and finally to Atlanta, GA. Although she loved her career at the time, there was always something missing.
Thomas Mann first sat down at the piano in Buffalo NY at the age of 3, with his great Aunt Sophie (who was a piano teacher) by his side. Thom immediately fell in love with the piano, and thus began his life long connection to music and composition. As a teenager, he also took up guitar, was an All-State tuba player and played bass in his award-winning high school jazz band. After graduating from high school and attending college, Thom hitchhiked across the country with his guitar in tow (the piano was a little too heavy to carry) and ended up in Cape Cod, Florida and eventually Atlanta. In Atlanta, Thom began teaching piano and guitar lessons for The European School of Music while he played in several bands. One of those bands was Sock, a jazz-punk band for which Thom was the principal songwriter.
In 1994, Kelly began taking guitar lessons while in Atlanta, and found her voice once again. And for the first time, Kelly began writing her own music. In 1995, with twin brothers Doug and Don Pharris, she formed The Kelly Williams Band, a rockin southern, blues band featuring Kellys original music. When the band went into the studio in August of 1995, Don introduced Kelly to his daughters guitar teacher, Thomas Mann. Kelly invited Thom to play piano on several of the songs on the CD, and Thom later joined The Kelly Williams Band.
Kelly eventually quit her job in the corporate world and began focusing on music while The Kelly Williams Band began touring extensively throughout the Southeast, Southwest and Midwest. They shared the stage with acts such as Storyville, Chris Duarte, Delbert McClinton and Robert Earl Keen, and played in notable clubs such as The Grand Emporium in Kansas City, Antones in Austin, The Zoo Bar in Lincoln, NE and The Cotton Club and Smiths Olde Bar in Atlanta. They received numerous accolades from music writers and appeared on numerous local TV shows and radio shows. The Kelly Williams Band headlined on one of the stages at the annual Spirit Fest in Kansas City and was one of 8 bands asked to participate in the Virginia Slims Female Vocalist competition in Atlanta (along with Soul Miner's Daughter, fronted by Jennifer Nettles, now of Sugarland fame). But, with all the success in Atlanta, Kelly longed to get back to her roots in Texas.
As fate would have it, Kelly fell in love with the piano player and today she and Thomas are married and are making beautiful music together. In 2002, the couple moved back to Texas. Today, they perform together as Melody Mann, bringing together Kellys upbringing on Texas gospel and roadhouse music and Thoms East Coast jazz and classical roots. Yes, hes a Yankee, but he calls himself a naturalized Texan since he married oneand he drives a truck and owns a cowboy hat! What more could a Texas girl want?
