Wynton Kelly
Wynton Charles Kelly (December 2, 1931 – April 12, 1971) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He is known for his lively, blues-based playing and as one of the finest accompanists in jazz. He began playing professionally at the age of 12 and was pianist on a No. 1 R&B hit at the age of 16. His recording debut as a leader occurred three years later, around the time he started to become better known as an accompanist to singer Dinah Washington, and as a member of trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie's band. This progress was interrupted by two years in the United States Army, after which Kelly worked again with Washington and Gillespie, and played with other leaders. Over the next few years, these included instrumentalists Cannonball Adderley, John Coltrane, Hank Mobley, Wes Montgomery, and Sonny Rollins, and vocalists Betty Carter, Billie Holiday, and Abbey Lincoln. Kelly attracted the most attention as part of Miles Davis' band from 1959, including an appearance on the trumpeter's Kind of Blue, often mentioned as the best-selling jazz album ever. After leaving Davis in 1963, Kelly played with his own trio, which recorded for several labels and toured the United States and internationally. His career did not develop much further, and he had difficulty finding enough work late in his career. Kelly, who was known to have epilepsy, died in a hotel room in Canada following a seizure, aged 39. |
Birth and Death Data: Born (Brooklyn (borough of New York City, New York, United States)), Died April 12, 1971 (Toronto (capital and largest city of the province of Ontario, Canada) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1951 - 1952
Roles Represented in DAHR: piano
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | 3877 | 10-in. | 2/27/1951 | Fine, fine daddy | Walter Buchanan Orchestra ; Dinah Washington | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Mercury | 3878 | 10-in. | 2/27/1951 | Please send me someone to love | Walter Buchanan ; Dinah Washington | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Mercury | 3879 | 10-in. | 2/27/1951 | Ain't nobody's business but my own | Walter Buchanan ; Dinah Washington | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Mercury | 3880 | 10-in. | 2/27/1951 | I'm so lonely I could cry | Walter Buchanan Orchestra ; Dinah Washington | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Mercury | 4223 | 10-in. | 9/24/1951 | New blowtop blues | Wynton Kelly ; Dinah Washington | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Mercury | 4369 | 10-in. | 6/1/1951 | Be fair to me | Ike Carpenter Orchestra ; Dinah Washington | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Mercury | 4731 | 10-in. | 1/18/1952 | Wheel of fortune | Jimmy Cobb Orchestra ; Dinah Washington | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Mercury | 4732 | 10-in. | 1/18/1952 | Tell me why | Jimmy Cobb Orchestra ; Dinah Washington | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Mercury | 4733 | 10-in. | 1/18/1952 | Trouble in mind | Dinah Washington | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Mercury | 4898 | 10-in. | 3/24/1952 | Stormy weather | Nook Schreier Orchestra ; Dinah Washington | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Mercury | 9220 | 10-in. | 5/6/1952 | Pillow blues | Dinah Washington | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Mercury | 9222 | 10-in. | 5/6/1952 | Double dealing daddy | Dinah Washington | instrumentalist, piano |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Kelly, Wynton," accessed January 3, 2026, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/407649.
Kelly, Wynton. (2026). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved January 3, 2026, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/407649.
"Kelly, Wynton." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2026. Web. 3 January 2026.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Discogs: Wynton Kelly
Allmusic: Wynton Kelly
Grove: Wynton Kelly
IMDb: Wynton Kelly
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Kelly, Wynton - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n84148411
Wikidata: Wynton Kelly - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q536415
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/29718356
MusicBrainz: Wynton Kelly - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/d3f9352c-18e2-47a0-802c-13d821490e42
Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/141917 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/141917
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