Kelly family

The Kelly Family is an American/European folk music group comprised one multi-generational family, that has enjoyed considerable chart and concert success in Continental Europe, especially in Germany and the Benelux countries. They have sold over 15 million albums to date since the early 1980's.

The history of the group started in 1966 when Americans Barbara and Daniel Kelly and their four children moved from the USA to Spain, where they would sing at parties and local events. They became well-known enough that they appeared on Spanish television in 1975 [1].

After several years of busking, they landed a record contract in Germany in 1977.

Their first major chart hit came in 1980 with the song "Who'll Come With Me (David's Song)" which hit number 1 in the Netherlands and Belgium and was top 20 in Germany.

After the death of the mother Barbara Kelly in 1981 and the stroke suffered by father Daniel Kelly in 1990, the children (by this point grown adults), continued recording and performing on their own. In the 1990's, the group would enjoy their biggest successes to date. Their 1994 album Over the Hump sold more than 3.5 million copies in Germany alone, and 4.5 million in Europe. To promote the album, they performed at a concert in Vienna for over 250,000 people as well.

The family's main residence is at Schloss Gymnich in Germany.