Paul Kelly

Artist Jon Campbell knew Paul Kelly (b. 1955) for years through the Melbourne music scene before approaching him to make this portrait. Campbell felt there was a link between the themes and style of his own work (which has explored cars, rock music, surfing and life in the suburbs) and those of Kelly’s. A singer, songwriter and producer, Kelly’s songs refer to specific Australian places and people, and he sings with a marked Australian accent. Kelly’s band went through a number of name changes, ultimately settling on Paul Kelly and The Messengers. Their major break came in 1986, when their double album Gossip was one of the biggest Australian records of the year. The band made Under the Sun (1987) before touring the USA. They disbanded in 1991, and Kelly branched into producing and acting as well as writing and performing. Though he has written most of his long and poetic song list alone, he has also collaborated brilliantly, particularly with First Nations performers including Archie Roach, Yothu Yindi and Kev Carmody, with whom he co-wrote the protest song ‘From Little Things, Big Things Grow’. Of this portrait, Campbell says that the ‘stripped back to essence’ quality reflects Kelly’s spare and frank approach to music.

Purchased with funds provided by the Basil Bressler Bequest 2004
© Jon Campbell