Tim Kelly (musician)

Timothy "Tim" Patrick Kelly (January 13, 1963 - February 5, 1998) was an American guitarist for the band Slaughter. After his death in 1998, Jeff Blando replaced Kelly in Slaughter.

Career

Born in Trenton, New Jersey, Kelly was a self-taught guitar player and began his music career around the sixth grade. He was inspired by other guitarists such as Rick Derringer and Peter Frampton. He played in a few bands during his career which included Hellion, New Haven, and Allegiance (that was fronted by his brother Bryan) along with other cover bands. After no real success with these bands, Kelly teamed up with Mark Slaughter and Dana Strum (both of whom came from Vinnie Vincent Invasion) to form a new group with their own original music. They later found Blas Elias and he joined as their drummer. Thus, the group Slaughter was formed in Fall of 1988.

With Slaughter, Kelly was a collaborator, writing and playing several songs. In the first album of the band (Stick It to Ya), he wrote and performed an instrumental piece called "Thinking of June" which he dedicated to his sister who died in 1982 from ovarian cancer. In all, Kelly released four studio albums with the band, and two live albums, the last of which (Eternal Live) was released posthumously and includes a pictorial and video tribute to Kelly which was quickly put together by Blas Elias and Pat Lucero.

Death

On February 5, 1998, Kelly was involved in a fatal car accident while traveling on Highway 96...
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