Lexington, KY - When Kelly Richey struggled with dyslexia and ADHD as a child, music became her outlet, assuring her that she did not need to be a misfit because of her learning disability. And now, after years teaching guitar, producing albums and performing on the road with the Kelly Richey Band, the 49-year-old Georgetown native, blues crooner and guitar phenomenon is returning to the Bluegrass with a wealth of success and experience under her belt to share with Lexington.
"I feel a heartbeat," Richey said about Lexington's music scene. "I feel a pulse here that is kind of calling me back home."
In fact her all-new solo acoustic album is titled Finding My Way Back Home, and coming home for Richey will involve influencing Lexington for the better through performance, teaching and life coaching.
"Just try and picture cities like Nashville, Memphis, Chicago, and Austin, Texas, without music. Musicians have a tremendous impact on local economy," Richey said.
"A vibrant local music scene reflects the voice of a community, inspires and awakens creativity in us all, and when fostered in our schools, helps to empower critical thinking skills needed for real success."
Richey, who currently still resides full-time in Cincinnati, said she has "15 hats on her head" but aims to make Lexington her permanent residence. She will start with offering guitar lessons and life coaching to help people realize their life purpose.
"When I was 15, I wanted to be a rockstar, and as I've gotten older, that dream morphs," Richey said, adding that after coming off the road in 2012 after 800,000 miles, 3,500 shows and 11 albums, she needed a break and time to re-evaluate her purpose. "I had taught guitar lessons for so long, and after a while, I realized many people were coming to me not to practice but to talk about life experiences ... Our purpose is what we do with our talents."
For Richey, music became her life calling even before the age of 15. As a child, she played a borrowed set of drums, and her father, frustrated with noise, told her he would buy her anything she wanted if she got rid of the drum set. Her first guitar was purchased as a gift from her father, who thought she would eventually grow out of her music "phase."
Music was a draw for her as a teen, giving her a chance to channel her "frustration and rebellion," she said. Richey said her guitar became her "battle ax," and when she discovered rock and roll, she said she really began to "cut her teeth as a guitarist."
Taking lessons at Lexington's Fred Moore Music, Richey quickly became one of the family and soon began teaching lessons there.
It was through her uncle's nontraditional Southern Baptist church that she encountered gospel and blues roots. Now she takes those lessons into schools, where she educates kids about music through her nonprofit Music for Change and as an artist on tour with the Cincinnati Arts Association.
"It's a great excuse to also teach history," Richey said about teaching kids lessons about blues. "Music is such an asset, and it helps people learn."
And it also can help a community be revitalized and energized, but there are challenges.
"The landscape of music and nightlife has changed everywhere," Richey said. "People now have 500 stations and a clicker and a couch; that's a lot to compete with. There are so many options, but I think it's important for communities and for musicians and for the public that's seeking entertainment to all really think outside the box. Let your community know what you want. Support those things that you like, because if you want to see them, they require support."
She added that club owners and artists need to work in collaboration with each other without the artist being the "center of the universe."
"I'm shocked at the growth that I see in Lexington. I'm thrilled by the things going on, and I'm excited to get back here and teach," she said, adding that she will ultimately play some gigs in town.
Richey added that Lexington seems to be a bubble in terms of avoiding economic disaster, especially downtown - where a renaissance is underway.
"When there is a demand, then wow, let's step to the plate and meet the demand," she said. "When I left 13 years ago, there was not enough music to sustain anything ... I think music and arts, they're one in the same. They're the glue; they're the voice. They reflect so much of what a community has to say."
And good music also can spur economic growth, she said, since people go out, eat food, buy drinks and generally are more social and mobile when music is involved.
Richey said she hopes to continue to spur the Lexington music scene and will start by bringing her guitar teaching and life coaching to the Horse Capital of the World. More than anything else, she said, she wants to help people identify and achieve their dreams the way music did for her.
"I don't have a chip on my shoulder anymore. I want to be part of community in
a positive way," she said. "I have no agenda other than to utilize the skills I have."
For more information on Richey, visit kellyrichey.com.