Who is Paul Kelly?
Paul Kelly is an Australian singer-songwriter, born in Adelaide in 1955, often called the poet laureate of Australian music. His songs include To Her Door, Dumb Things and How to Make Gravy.
Kelly began performing in Melbourne in the 1970s and rose to prominence in the 1980s with his band the Coloured Girls, later renamed the Messengers. Their 1986 album Gossip included Before Too Long and Leaps and Bounds.
His songs tell vivid stories of Australian life, love, loss and history. To Her Door describes a man trying to reconnect with his family, while How to Make Gravy, written as a letter from a prisoner at Christmas, has become an Australian Christmas favourite.
From Little Things Big Things Grow
With Kev Carmody, Kelly wrote From Little Things Big Things Grow, which tells the story of the 1966 Wave Hill walk-off led by Gurindji man Vincent Lingiari. The song is an anthem of the land rights movement.
Kelly has also set poetry to music and written a memoir, How to Make Gravy. He was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 1997.
He continues to release albums and tour, and many younger Australian artists cite him as an influence. Fans celebrate Gravy Day on 21 December, the date mentioned in the song.
Did You Know?
Kelly has released more than 20 studio albums across five decades.