In the beginning Kelly was deeply influenced by the blues, long before this superb American art form was in vogue or fashionable. One of Kelly's most notable early achievements was his long time association and intimate musical connection to many of the legendary and great blues players of our time. Kelly had the exceptionally good fortune to have played and worked with such renown artists as T-Bone Walker, John Lee Hooker, Mel Brown, Brownie McGhee, Champion Jack Dupree and many others. It was, however, his strong ties with T-Bone that made the biggest impression on him. The two musicians grew very close and played together right up until T-Bone's passing in the early 1970's. Today, T-Bone is considered to be the real Father of the Blues and recognized as having been perhaps the greatest of all. It was during this period that Kelly received his real musical education. It served him well as he toured the country from coast-to-coast playing in what was euphemistically referred to as the "chitlin circuit" of all black night clubs; a sub-culture totally unfamiliar to most whites. Most of the time, Kelly was the only white person in the club.

Finally, after a short stint of playing the after hours clubs on Bourbon street, Kelly got a yearning for his roots back in California and headed west where he reconnected with many of the people who would later be instrumental in building the foundation of Kingfish. Many bands preceded that and as the Grateful Dead were gathering steam in the Haight-Ashbury San Francisco area, Matthew Kelly, David Torbert, Chris Herold and Robbie Hoddinott, all original Kingfish members were creating quite a stir in their own right, in the South Bay area psychedelic music scene. The four musicians went through several bands together and eventually split up after a number of different incarnations when Kelly went to England to see what it had to offer. Almost immediately, Kelly found a record deal with manager Tony Barrow, one of the Beatles' first managers. The band was called Gospel Oak. It was original, raw and a bit loose, but it somehow caught on in the London scene. Just as the record was being released the label signed a new artist, one Elton John, to be precise, and Gospel Oak full by the wayside to the status of a cult band and soon disbanded. Kelly, never one to be easily disheartened (perhaps the folly of youth) landed a gig touring with another of his heroes, the legendary Champion Jack DuPree. For Kelly, this was another opportunity to learn at the feet of one of the masters of the blues. He played with Champion Jack for several months until British beauracracy and lack of a work permit made it impossible for Matthew to remain in England.

Somewhat disenchanted, Kelly returned once again to his home base in California. In his absence, his old friend and musical cohort David Torbert joined the "New Riders of the Purple Sage", with Jerry Garcia on pedal steel. Eventually Kelly became a regular sit-in on harp and the New Riders soon became the established opening act for the Grateful Dead for many years to follow. It was also at this time that Kelly reconnected with his longtime boyhood pal, Bob Weir. Weir and Kelly had grown up together in the Bay Area and both, being of a somewhat rebellious nature, managed to get themselves ousted from the same private prep school.

Finally Torbert decided to quit the New Riders to start Kingfish with Kelly. Both partners realized that this was a risky move, but firm resolution, hard work, good song writing and an inordinate number of gigs paid off, as the band quickly gathered up momentum. After a year of extensive touring, Weir started to sit-in with the band. Shortly thereafter Weir became a full-time member. The band took off immediately and created a lot of excitement both with the fans and within the industry. Kelly and Torbert had already written many of the songs that were later to become Kingfish classics such as "Hypnotize" and "Goodbye year Honor" and Weir pitched in with tunes such as "Lazy Lightning" and "Supplication". After the release of their first LP, it became obvious that this impetuous young band, Kingfish, had created a very exciting new sound.

After their two year hiatus, Bob Weir rejoined the Grateful Dead. Kingfish, on it's own again, signed a record deal with Electric Light Orchestra's label, Jet Records. Kingfish, continuing to expand it's horizons, proceeded to tour both Europe and the USA extensively as the opening act for the Electric Light Orchestra and later for Ritchie Blackmore's "Rainbow". And so it went right up until the present with Kingfish constantly experimenting with new players and new material.

Throughout all its various transmutations, Kingfish maintained its musical integrity and has always had the very best of the Bay Area musicians come through its ranks. Outstanding guitar players such as Robbie Hoddinott (the boy prodigy), Garth Webber (later to play with Miles Davis), Steve Kimock (the Other Ones, Zero) have all graced Kingfish with their presence and their talents over the years.

During this era with Kingfish, Kelly also played, both on stage and on record, with the Grateful Dead, and was a member of Bob Weir's Bobby and the Midnites. Along with Jay Lane, Rob Wasserman and Bob Weir, Matthew was one of the founding members of Ratdog.

Kelly has been the one consistent mainstay of Kingfish throughout the years. He managed to keep things together year after year and always managed to keep the music rolling in spite of many setbacks and tragic occurrences throughout the band's twenty-five year history. * see notes

Throughout all this, and in spite of it, the band has continued to grow, expand and prosper in a fruitful and positive way. Like the Phoenix rising up from the ashes, renewed and replenished, Kingfish has persevered, with Kelly ever present in it's ranks. He has gently guided the band towards completing a piece of work which is most assuredly it's greatest accomplishment to date: Sundown on the Forest. The most significant work that Kingfish has produced, Sundown on the Forest encompasses new material, great lyrics, and superb production while capturing the roots and feel of the classic Kingfish sound. It has it's own fresh and original appeal as well generating a spectacular feeling of real excitement.

As one astute young man observed, "This is Matthew Kelly's opus". And so it is.