Born and raised in Lafayette, Indiana, he began his musical journey weaving in and out of successful area bands as lead guitarist or bassist. Later he opened and ran a thriving recording studio, which after five years he retired in order to enable him to embark freely on his career as a solo artist.

His naturally soulful vocal illuminates carefully chosen lyrics that make his songs shimmer and shine. He plays expressively and manipulates the guitar to create a melodic fusion of alternate tunings and unorthodox hand positions allowing for him to achieve a full sound. The true beauty is in the way the song, the sound and the motion of his music unites. The songs, especially the lush instrumentals, can be reminiscent of the late, great Michael Hedges, but boast Kelsey's personal percussive stamp, exceptional arrangement and deliberate instrumentation.

His live performances are particularly moving. Sometimes he sounds as if he's deftly playing more than one guitar. At a Kelsey show audience members may actually lose themselves in the moment and forget they are listening to one person. They can be tapping their foot one minute, in a deep trance the next, then bursting into laughter.

After performing an opening set for folk artist David Wilcox, David described Kelsey's show as "Cirque Du Soleil on acoustic guitar."

His love of performance extends to his fans, which gain in strength with every show. He'd prefer them not to walk away saying, "Wow, what a great guitarist!" Instead he hopes they go home and paint a picture, write a poem, or make music with whatever is in their top kitchen drawer. He says, "Inspiration is contagious and I like to help get it started."

Kelsey's abilities have enabled him to be noticed by many. A finalist in Guitar Player Magazine's national competition and winner of Guitar Center's "Guitarmageddon," chosen as best unsigned guitarist out of over 3000 entrants nationwide says it all. He has toured nationally with Blind Melon and Dishwalla and has shared the stage with everyone from Adrian Legg to John Wesley Harding.