Kelly's Lot was formed in 1994 by Kelly Zirbes, a folk singer/songwriter with a heart for the blues. With 17 CDs and lots of touring in the USA and Europe, the band celebrates 30 years since the first night the band hit the stage at the Roxy in Hollywood.
Kelly Z met Texas guitar player and sound man, Perry Robertson in 1996, who soon after produced ‘Kelly’s Lot - Live at the Troubadour’. Within a year he joined the band, started writing songs with Kelly Z and added the Southern Rock and Texas Blues influences that have helped shape the Kelly's Lot sound.
In the last 6 years they have played some of the larger festivals, like BeachLife Ranch, Waterfront Blues Festival, Happy Face Music Festival, Simi Valley Cajun and Blues Festival, Oxnard Jazz Festival, Tall City Blues Fest and in Europe, Nuits de Sologne (France), Lavaudieu Music Festival (France), Howth Roots and Blues Festival (Ireland), and Caslano Blues Festival (Switzerland).
Perry has recorded and produced most of the band’s music, including in recent years the 2019 release CAN’T TAKE MY SOUL and 2020’s ANOTHER SKY which brought the band back to its Americana roots. After that it was back to the Blues with a live acoustic Blues album, WHERE AND WHEN, to satisfy their eclectic audience.
From recording, to live online concerts and some local gigs they kept busy during the pandemic, and in 2023 Kelly and ‘The Lot’ released a single with keyboard player/singer Mo Beeks called 'I Gotta Sing The Blues’. That song inspired their 2024 album, THE BLUES REMIND ME, a release with lots of heart, horns and riffs!
Kelly’s Lot hit the road in 2023 and 2024 and brought their music to folks in France, Ireland and Croatia, and have been booked to return.
With the help of her partner Perry, Kelly is again returning to her Roots/Rock music by writing, recording and releasing a new album in August 2025 called LATE BLOOMER. Stay tuned...they are just getting started after 30 years!
AVAILABLE AS A FULL 4-PIECE BAND, AND AS AN ACOUSTIC DUO
TESTIMONIALS
"What a beautiful acoustic blues show by Kelly's Lot. Kelly Zirbes brings a wonderful and refreshing sensitivity to blues singing. We don't use that word so much in the blues, but all the great ones had it in their unique ways. When Kelly sings the blues there is a sense of story and conversation. One of the things I love about Bessie Smith is that it feels like you are right there in her kitchen gabbing with her. Well, of course, Kelly has her own wonderfully melodic voice and style, and she does not pretend to be anyone but herself, but that feeling of keeping company and conversing, so important in the blues, is very much present. She is talking with you. Thanks Kelly.”
MICHAEL GLIONA, HOST, FIRST THURDAYS, BARBARA MORRISON PERFORMING ARTS CENTER, LOS ANGELES, CA USA
"“I get to do what I want,” vocalist Kelly Zirbes said playfully at one point during last night’s epic Kelly’s Lot set at Ireland’s 32. And if blues fans get their way, she’ll get to do a lot more of it, for this band seems stronger than ever. And perhaps also having more fun than ever, if last night’s show is any indication. Their energy and joy led the crowd to have a great deal of fun too, and that’s what it’s all about. After all, as Kelly sings in “Why Don’t We,” “Life’s too short/And that’ll never change.” Their set included a lot of great original material, as well as some favorite covers such as a delicious rendition of “Route 66”. I highly recommend checking them out. And if you live outside of Los Angeles, the good news is that the band is planning on touring again in the near future."
MICHAEL DOHERTY, MUSIC LOG