THE RISE OF ROBIN KELLY! If youre a younger sibling, then you can probably remember the younger years of trying to compete with an older brother or sister. There was always something to compete with, and not only looking up to them, but also really trying to be as good if not better! Does that have a familiar ring to it? Well in this business most of our ETA families only have one entertainer in its close core, most but not all- Robin is the younger brother of well known ETA- Darren Lee and working hard to make a mark of his own in the business! Robin Kelly is one of the more noted new kids on the block. Still new to the circuit but has dipped his feet into the waters on more then one occasion! Wading in right up to his hips you could say! My first few thoughts of Robin take me to the Memphis area (as most everything does!). Under the huge tent down at Graceland crossing, Darren was just finishing up his set of Elvis tunes on stage, while the rest of us were baking in the hot sun watching the performance. Standing there chatting with Robin it dawned on me that this fellow was becoming a nervous wreck, I had no idea why at the time, but would within a few short minutes. I soon learned that those shaking knees were heading to the stage and that Robin would be standing in the exact spot his brother had just warmed up for him. He was about to sing, for the very first time in front of an audience- a MEMPHIS audience and just a block from the Kings famous home! Now you have to remember here that Robin was not the entertainer he is now. In fact he was not an entertainer at all! The only public singing that he had taken part in had taken place in the hotel lobby in Memphis with a crowd and numerous other ETAs having "jam" sessions-where everyone joined it! When the soaking wet Darren was through and ready for a bit of a break, he announced that his brother would be coming to the stage to sing a tune. Throwing a terrified look our way, Robin bounded up on stage and hesitantly took the microphone from Darren. Those of us that knew Robin also knew that he was scared to death, although the audience wouldnt have a clue and would simply be waiting for Darren Lees brother to belt out something equally well. I dont recall what it was that he sang, but what I do remember was actually watching this man on stage and feeling proud that I could call him a friend- and thinking he was CRAZY! No, his sound wasnt the problem; I just couldnt believe the amount of guts it took to be able to do what he was doing! And to follow on stage within only a few minutes of his famous brother- wow man that took GUTS! Robin pulled it off that day in the Memphis heat in the middle of the afternoon. No one, including him would think that 5 years later he would envelope the ETA world with such frenzy. Now here is a classic If he can get on that stage- so can you type of thing! Robin has succeeded and risen in the ETA world within such a short period of time, it isnt hard to tell that this guy practices himself to death! Now days with such heavy competition and having your name tied to Darren Lee- he has had to work twice as hard to become his own person with his own identity. Robin Kelly is starting to lose the Darren Lees little brother type of syndrome though, and is becoming known for his own vocal abilities. The final showdown of that came in Memphis this past August. Going on a stage where his brother had taken home the very first Canadian win, carrying the first place title in 1997- would put the nerves on anyone! Fortunately, Robins cool demeanor and sweet personality had made him many friends over the years of his trips to Memphis with his older brother. So he had a fan following already started when he arrived in the steamy city, which made it a tad easier to relax-maybe. Of course he would still have some of the best in the world to compete against and that would definitely be his biggest concern and cause for jitters. Not too many take home first place the first time they compete, and although Robin didnt place in the top three at the Images of Elvis contest, he still came home proudly carrying his Collingwood Grand Championship title. Not bad for a little brother eh?? Returning from Memphis after a lengthy tour away from home, I was finally able to catch up to this young man and see just how it feels to be labeled as the Grand Champion, in the Collingwood Elvis Festival! Lets read on and see what he has to say. **************************************************************** Even though youre still relatively a new comer to the ETA world, you have been involved to some extent for several years, because of Darren. Just at what point did you finally decide that you were going to begin a singing career as an Elvis Tribute Artist? It all started when Darren was hired in Vegas- his manager had seen me sing various times at Darrens shows. He thought that with lots and lots of hard work, I might be okay at doing this. The first thing we had to do is work on my stage fright! In the interview that was recently done not long ago with Darren, he speaks a great deal about you, and he also states he will do everything possible to help you get to Vegas. Is this a dream or final goal for you or do you have other plans? Well Vegas is the ultimate venue for what we do But There are a lot of places that I would like this show to take me. This is a big world and before I settle in one place, I want to see everything else; to make sure thats where I want to be. Was there a time in your life when you were young that you thought you might actually become a singer, or did you have other aspirations? Ive always been a singer, but had really bad stage fright- so I tried other things, then always came back to my dream. I wouldnt have been happy, unless I gave it a real try! What type of job were you involved in when you changed your career direction? I was a welder. I worked for my dad and did a wide variety of jobs that included everything from semi trucks to farm work in pig barns-(I got all the nasty jobs). In the re-creation of the 68 Comeback Special with Darren, you were a major player and seemed like you were thoroughly comfortable being on stage. Was it one of the first times you were in front of such a large audience? Do you think it was one of those things that helped you feel comfortable when you finally choose to become an ETA? I wasnt comfortable at all!! I actually thought that I was going to fall from the scaffold, its a good thing that all those lights blinded me- because if I would have seen all those people, It would have been game over for me! Definitely- there was an awful lot of people there! Seeing a show that big, with all those people coming to see it, made me wonder if I could maybe do something like that one day. It was also much cleaner than my other job! Talent doesnt end with you and your brother though, does it? Your mother was also gifted with a musical ability, showing early in life what kind of talent runs in the family. Were you edged early on in life to sing, or was it simply from listening to her? My mom was always singing, mostly around 8:00 am on Saturdays and Sundays to get us out of bed!!! Music was a big part of life and Elvis was a big part of the music that was played She never pushed us to sing, but helped us if chose to do so!! Is there anything in this complex business that you learned from watching Darren go through the motions over the years? Ive learned a lot of things from watching Darren, both what I should most important, what not to do! You are a truly gifted person and I know that the first part of your career was spent proving yourself as Robin Kelly-ETA trying to shake the shadowed status of Darrens rise to fame. Do you think that it was a benefit or a trial to perform under the gun of a talented older brother? In some cases it made It easier- because some (but not all) of his fans supported me, so there were some people at the shows! In most cases though, it was harder! The comparisons and the people who didnt like him-hated me, because I was his brother! They then made ma a target to try and ruin This continues even now!! Is there anything that you would change if you were to go back and start this career over? I would have done it sooner and tried to hide whose brother I was! ****************************** Don't forget to take a look at Robin's website! Visit- Part Two of Robin's interview! ******************************* PICTURES! Top Picture- Recent Promo Robin standing beside Pink Caddy!(Penticton) Robin and Cortney-Memphis 2002, thanks Cortney!