Jonathan Kelly -

Jonathan Kelly (1947–2020) was an Irish singer/songwriter from Drogheda who recorded initially as Jon Ledingham with the Boomerangs and on two Pye solo singles between 1966 and 1968.

Under the Kelly name, he released the 1970 Parlophone album Jonathan Kelly, followed by the 1972–75 RCA titles Twice Around the Houses, Wait Till They Change the Backdrop, …Waiting on You, and Two Days in Winter. Waiting appeared under the Jonathan Kelly’s Outside banner with a band that included Snowy White and Chas Jankel.

Kelly withdrew from regular performance later in the decade and returned for a series of solo shows between 2004 and 2007. His later releases include Live 2005: The Charity Concert, JK Bootleg Series Volume One (2007), and Home Demos (2013).

Background

Jonathan Kelly was born Jonathan Ledingham on July 8, 1947, in Drogheda, County Louth, Ireland. His father played ukulele. Brother George sang as a boy soprano and became a tenor. Ledingham attended Drogheda Grammar School and sang in a school choir. He made his first recording as a soloist in a school production of Handel’s Messiah.

Early Bands

Ledingham formed the Saracens at school with lead guitarist Eddie Armstrong and bassist Ivan Hill. Drummer Ian Ellis completed the quartet, with Ledingham on rhythm guitar. The group played Shadows material and toured Ireland in summer 1962. The Saracens dissolved late that year after Hill returned to Yorkshire.

Ledingham studied drama at Trinity College Dublin and formed the Boomerangs in 1965 with childhood friend Brian Trench. Ledingham sang and played rhythm guitar alongside bassist Alan Doran and drummer Noel Richardson. Lead guitarist Aidan Cahill and organist Trench completed the lineup. The Boomerangs cut the February 1966 Pye single “Dream World” (b/w “Upgraded”), both Ledingham compositions produced by Eamonn Andrews Studios Ltd.

Solo Singles

As Jon Ledingham, he proceeded as a solo singer on the Irish folk-club circuit under manager Tom Costello. He released the November 1967 Pye single “Without an E” (b/w “She’s Got Me”), followed in March 1968 with “Love Is a Toy” (b/w “Thank You Mrs. Gilbert”), both issued in Ireland on Target. Ledingham also embarked on a mid-1968 tour of the United States, where he appeared on folk-festival bills with Phil Ochs and Tom Paxton and played the Bitter End in New York City.

Ledingham played a 1968 farewell concert at the Gresham Hotel in Dublin. He moved to London and worked the local club circuit. In 1969, ex-Bee Gee Colin Petersen heard Ledingham at a London restaurant and offered to produce his records. Colin’s wife, Joanne Newfield Petersen, became manager for Ledingham, who adopted the name Jonathan Kelly, first used for the 1969 Parlophone single “Denver” (b/w “Son Jon”).

Kelly followed in February 1970 with “Make a Stranger Your Friend” (b/w “Daddy Don’t Take Me Down Fishing No More”), produced by Petersen at IBC Studios, London, with vocal backing by Mick Taylor and Klaus Voormann. Eric Clapton played slide guitar on Kelly’s subsequent single, “Don’t You Believe It,” another Petersen production (b/w “Billy”).

Humpy Bong

In mid-1970, Petersen formed Humpy Bong with Kelly and former Smile singer-bassist Tim Staffell. The trio released the Kelly compositions “Don’t You Be Too Long” (b/w “We’re Alright Till Then”) on Aug. 21 through Parlophone and appeared on Top of the Pops. Humpy Bong broke up after the single and television appearance. Petersen produced the self-titled Jonathan Kelly for a November 1970 release on Parlophone.

Discography: