Dan Kelly summarizes his life through 21 album covers that have been meaningful to him. The albums span genres from classical to country to rock and represent formative moments from his childhood to present. Key albums include The Lion King soundtrack, Van Morrison, The Beatles, Johnny Cash, The Band, Led Zeppelin, and Jason Isbell, all of which transport him to different memories and times. He concludes by saying Jason Isbell's music in particular has inspired his writing and brought him to tears.

1. MY LIFE IN 21 ALBUM
COVERS
DAN KELLY

2. “Music is in the ether, it transcends time, color, and creed. I have spent my life utterly
captivated by music; from sitting in my grandfather’s basement listening to opera, to hearing
Van Morrison for the first time and hanging on every word. Music has left and continues to
leave an indelible mark on me, shaping and “defining” moments of my life with certain songs
and melodies. Curiously enough, I have spent the majority of my musical journey traveling
backwards in time; to places and moments that I can never tangibly experience myself but yet
can understand through music. This is my autobiography written through album covers. Each
one represents a moment in time that I will never forget and every time I hear them I am
instantly transported to another memory, time and place. There are so many more albums I
wish I could share but to do that would exceed the scope of this project. So, I picked each
album as the best example of what I have experienced chronologically thus far in my life. As
you view this project I want you to ask yourself; What would your story be?”

3. “The first piece of music I can remember vividly is “The Circle of Life”. This soundtrack reminds me of happy
times dancing around in the living room without a care in the world.”

4. “Screaming let’s get down to business at the top of our lungs while my brother and I would play fight in the
living room.”

5. “The Lord of the Rings soundtrack is one of the most epic and brilliantly written soundtracks recorded in my
opinion. I can still remember the devastation I felt as a young child when “The Breaking of the Fellowship”
came on after Gandalf fell in the Mines of Moria.”

6. “Ah, Van Morrison. This is the first traditional music album I felt immediately connected to. My younger
brother and I would stomp around the house during “Marie’s Wedding” and we were so captivated by it we
shared it with our friends and that very song was played at our friend’s wedding where we all stomped our feet
like we did when we were kids.”

7. “It’s The Beatles. My dad loves The Beatles and I was turned onto them riding in the car with him as we
would go run errands. To this day, every time I hear ‘Come Together’I am reminded of our easy
companionship driving down the road listening to this album.”

8. “My mom loves Elvis and first started playing him around the house when I was little. I couldn’t help but fall
in love with The King.”

9. “As a kid, I loved every single song on this record. Not because of the lyrics, but because of the way they
sounded. Now, as an adult I appreciate Bob Dylan ever more. He is and will always be the greatest
singer/songwriter to grace the last century. ‘Boots of Spanish Leather’still reminds me of my first big breakup
as a kid.”

10. “I bet you were wondering when this would happen. I immediately felt a connection with the emotion and
energy in Blink-182 and punk rock. This marks the beginning of my angsty teenage years.

11. “I felt drawn to the Red Hot Chili Peppers for many of the same reasons I felt drawn to Blink-182. They were
loud, energetic and different.

12. “Yellow Ledbetter”. You can’t understand a word Eddie Vedder is singing but you know he means it. This
album inspired me to ask for an electric guitar for my birthday and it’s been a part of me ever since.”

13. “Wilco is something special to me. It’s the album I would play when I was feeling down or ‘Misunderstood’
(pun). This album would see at least one play about every time I drove in my car when I first got my license.”

14. “Johnny Cash started my love for the old country heroes. He was one of my main road trip companions and I
connected with the restlessness in his music.”

15. “I remember the first time listening to Willie Nelson made me realize that it’s not just about the lyrics or the
sound but also about the delivery. To me, he represents living your life how you want to live it, and not caring
what others may think.”

16. “Like Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson made me realize another important aspect about music. It’s not all
about if you can sing in-key or not, it’s about the words and emotions you project. After I started listening to
Kris Kristofferson a whole new world opened up for me.

17. “The Band kicked off my current track in music. I first heard the song ‘The Weight’when I was young but I
didn’t realize who or how important that song was to American music. This album is sitting around the table
singing ‘The Weight’or taking turns with the verses in the car with my friends.”

18. “Etta James is my favorite singer of all-time. Hands down. She is power and emotion and represents
everything that I love about Muscle Shoals-era rhythm-and-blues. She is sitting on the deck in the sunshine
playing along to her voice on an old acoustic guitar.”

19. “The first time I heard Jimi Hendrix I remember being blown away by how he played guitar. He is unlike
anyone who came before him and there will never be another. He also turned me on to the deeper canon in
blues music which is so important to me. His music conveys so much emotion just by the way he plays. If I had
to pick one guitar-god, it would be him. He is endless hours of trying to figure out how he played songs and
practicing ‘Little Wings’until I didn’t have any skin left on the tips of my fingers.”

20. “This was the start of my love for southern rock and the jam-band mentality. The fusion of musical styles that
encompass the enigma of the Allman Brothers Band is something of rarity. The power of Gregg Allman’s voice
and the virtuosity of Duane Allman’s slide playing inspires me to no end. They are my pump-up group, what I
put on my record player when I want to get lost in rock and roll.”

21. “From listening to every song on every album to playing “When the Levee Breaks” on stage for the first time,
Led Zeppelin has become my favorite rock and roll group of all-time. Led Zeppelin is organized chaos and
power. They are endless hours of practice so that I could impress my bandmates when playing a Jimmy Page
solo and what I turn to study music.”

22. “I am a digger. When I find an artist I like I find out who inspired them. A common thread I have found among
my singer/songwriter heroes is this man, Townes Van Zandt. His music is sparse and at times hard to listen to
sonically, but he is perhaps one of the greatest writers of this last century. A return to my country days. He is a
catalyst for my creative writing and inspiration to no end.”

23. “I have practiced his songs and tried to emulate his writing style for about four years now. I am not ashamed
to admit that I have cried multiple times to his songs. I bawled my eyes out when “Cover Me Up” came on
after my then girlfriend and now fiancé left for Spain for six months. I cried again upon hearing “If We Were
Vampires” laying on the couch with my fiancé. His songs are truly a part of who I am today.”

24. The End