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Hunter Kelly | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 4, 1981 Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Music Journalist, Radio Host |
| Years active | 2003-Present |
| Website | www |
Hunter Kelly (born June 4, 1981 in Birmingham, Alabama) is an American music journalist, radio host, and expert on country and Americana music. He is best known for his work as a journalist covering music and LGBTQ+ issues, hosting the Apple Music show Proud Radio, and his in-depth storytelling about The Judds.
Early life and education
Hunter Kelly was born in Birmingham, Alabama, and raised in Gardendale, where he graduated as the salutatorian of Gardendale High School class of 1999. He attended Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, graduating with a Bachelor of Business Administration focused on Music Business in 2003. During his time at Belmont, he won the Music Business program's op honor, the Robert E. Mulloy Award of Excellence, and a Southeastern Journalism Conference Award for his Belmont Vision feature on Elton John's Songs from the West Coast album. He also published reviews in Billboard magazine while still a college student.
Career
Hunter Kelly's career began in 2003, when he briefly worked as a roadie for the indie band Over the Rhine, gaining firsthand experience in the life of a touring musician. In 2004, he started writing music profiles for the Nashville-based City Paper interviewing artists like Jonatha Brooke, Tift Merritt, and Ben Folds.
In 2005, Kelly took a full-time position with Premiere Radio (iHeart), where he interviewed major country music artists and wrote daily prep services for country radio stations. From 2006 to 2015, he served as the Nashville correspondent for ABC News and ABC News Radio, covering country music for platforms including ABC World News Tonight, Good Morning America, and ABCNews.com.
From 2020 to 2024, Hunter Kelly hosted Proud Radio on Apple Music, a show highlighting LGBTQ+ artists in country and Americana music The program featured artists such as Dolly Parton , The Judds, Maren Morris, Indigo Girls, Orville Peck, Jason Isbell, and many others. His last episode featured David Archuleta and a discussion with Maren Morris about her new queer anthem, "push me over."
Work on The Judds
Hunter Kelly is recognized as an expert on The Judds, largely due to his work on the eight-hour Apple Music series Neon Songbook. The series was featured in People magazine and The Nashville Scene, and also earned praise from Ashley Judd and Wynonna Judd. He has written multiple artist bios and promotional materials for The Judds, as well as for the solo projects of Wynonna and Naomi Judd. Kelly has also hosted interview sessions with Wynonna and Naomi at prominent events, such as the CMA Music Festival in Nashville and the 92nd Street Y in New York. His tribute to Naomi Judd after her passing was published in Rolling Stone, becoming one of the magazine's most read articles of 2022.
Most recently, Kelly signed a deal with Liveright Publishing, a division of Norton, to compile his extensive research on The Judds into a book slated for release in 2027. The project, entitled THE JUDDS, is described by Publishers Marketplace as a 'multi-generational biography' of the six-time Grammy Award-winning duo, exploring their remarkable journey from poverty to country music stardom, with a critical look at their music, legacy, and the lives that shaped them, based on new interviews and exhaustive reporting.
Journalism and media presence
Throughout his career, Hunter Kelly's work has been published in outlets like Rolling Stone, Spin, Billboard, and Apple News. He has been interviewed by or had his work featured in publications such as Variety, The New Yorker, NPR, Pollstar, People, Out, The Advocate, The Washington Post, and The Tennessean. He is also extensively quoted in Marissa R. Moss's 2022 book, Her Country: How the Women of Country Music Became the Success They Were Never Supposed to Be.
His most recent work was published in news outlet, MSNBC, where he authored an op-ed analyzing country music artist Carrie Underwood's decision to perform at Donald Trump's 2025 Presidential Inauguration, offering a critical perspective on the intersection of country music and politics.
Personal life
Hunter Kelly married Clint Brown June 22, 2022 in a ceremony on the beach in Hawaii.
References
- ^ "Proud Radio". Apple Music Podcast Series. Apple Music.
- ^ "The Way I Am". Billboard.com. Billboard Magazine. Retrieved 15 December 2001.
- ^ "Luke Bryan Takes in His 13-Year-Old Nephew Following Brother-in-Law's Death". ABCNews.com. ABC News. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
- ^ Willman, Chris. "Country Music's LGBTQ Arrow Lands at Apple Music, as the Genre Gets Its First Gay-Themed Show With 'Proud Radio' ". Variety.com. Variety Magazine. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
- ^ Freeman, Jon. "Dolly Parton Felt She Was 'Betraying Somebody Else' With Rock Hall Nomination". RollingStone.com. Rolling Stone Magazine. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
- ^ Aniftos, Rania."Maren Morris on Speaking Against Racism & Homophobia as a Country Music Artist: 'Everyone Else is So Quiet'". Billboard.com. Billboard Magazine. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
- ^ "Proud Radio Ep. 62 w/ Guest David Archuleta". Apple Music Podcast Series. Apple Music.
- ^ "Neon Songbook Radio with Hunter Kelly". Apple Music Podcast Series. Apple Music.
- ^ Trageser, Stephen."Country Music Almanac 2023: Our Journalists' Survey". Nashville Scene.com. Nashville Scene Newsweekly. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
- ^ "Naomi Judd Interview at 2021 Song Suffragettes Summit". Youtube.com. YouTube. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
- ^ Avila, Daniela. "Wynonna Judd says 'It's Important to Do What You Can' and Hopes to Inspire Fans by Going on Tour". People.com. People Magazine. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
- ^ Stone, Rolling."Rolling Stone's Top 25 Stories of 2022". RollingStone.com. Rolling Stone. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
- ^ "Some Valuable Lessons for Country Music's LGBTQ+ Community". SPIN.com. SPIN Weekly. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
- ^ Nussbaum, Emily. "Country Music's Culture Wars And The Remaking of Nashville". NewYorker.com. New Yorker Magazine. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
- ^ Powers, Ann."Visibility, with the volume up loud, in Tennessee" NPR.org. NPR Music's Weekly Newsletter. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
- ^ Kelly, Hunter. "The Business Sense Behind Carrie Underwood's MAGA makeover". MSNBC.com MSNBC. Retrieved 20 January 2025.