Kerry Hurley has been singing since he was six years old. Like any good Southern boy he started out singing in church. He listened to his grandma’s Elvis Presley gospel albums and yearned to sing like The King. He studied piano and learned how to read and write music early on. He performed regularly in church as a solo artist, with the choir or in musicals. In Jr. High School he started singing in garage bands and discovered something called rock&roll. It wasn’t long before he was singing tunes by the popular bands of the day – like Led Zeppelin, The Doors, Pink Floyd, Cream, The Beatles, Bad Co., Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, etc… He got involved with drama and was eventually named Best Actor at his high school, where he felt right at home on stage in front of an audience. Then after graduating, off to college at George Mason University where he continued to act and hone his skills for entertainment. In the late 80’s he followed a dream and moved to Los Angeles where he continued acting and singing, hoping to get a break and make it big. In 1989 he formed his first professional band called The Thrillbillyz and started playing gigs in and around L.A. , eventually getting his first taste of a recording studio when he cut a demo with his band. This is right around the time that he got introduced to the Blues via Stevie Ray Vaughan. In 1993 Hurley moved back to Roanoke after a brief but exciting stay in New Orleans . He reformed The Thrillbillyz and in 1995 recorded a cd at Flat Five Studios entitled “Romp!”. The song Franklin County Moonshine became an instant regional success, getting in regular rotation on the radio. The cd’s sold like hot-cakes and the band started playing a lot of gigs, opening for and sharing the stage with bands like Storyville, Govt. Mule, Matchbox 20, Johnny Winter, Loverboy, Kenny Wayne Shepard and many more over the next 6 years. In 1997 Hurley had a brief stint in an award-winning Blues band called Blues Hangover. They traveled the East Coast and won the Piedmont Blues Preservation Society’s Blues Contest and went to Memphis to represent them at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, TN. Hurley continued to play high profile gigs with The Thrillbillyz at this time. In 1999 Hurley was offered his own Blues Radio Show called “The Blues Show” on 96.3FM WROV every Sunday night and has been on the air ever since (two years ago he switched stations and is now on 101.5FM The Music Place every Wed. night for “Blues With A Feeling” from 10 – midnight, check out www.1015themusicplace.com). In the Spring of 2001 he and Hoppie Vaughan joined The Fat Daddy Band (www.thefatdaddyband.net), which had been together since 1995. The Fat Daddy Band immediately started kicking butt and taking names – touring, writing and recording. In the Summer of 2001 they won The Charlotte Blues Society’s Blues Contest and represented them in Jan. of ‘02 at the 2002 International Blues Challenge, where they beat out 150 other bands from all over the world to go to the finals. The band had 2 previous cd’s out but in 2002 recorded it’s 3rd cd entitled “From The Soul”. Out of the 8 songs Hurley wrote 2 and co-wrote 3 others. In 2004 they released their 4th cd entitled “Live & Lovin’ It!”, which was a collection of live performances from some of the band’s favorite haunts. They continued to play and write. In 2006 Hurley founded The Blue Ridge Blues Society, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is dedicated to preserving, promoting and presenting Blues in our area (you can check out more on that by going to www.blueridgeblues.org). In 2007 Hurley opened up his own Blues Club and over the next three years put on some of the best shows Roanoke, VA has ever seen and helped to further the cause of making Roanoke – Virginia’s Music City. This is right around the time that he met a phenomenal musician and Roanoke ’s Jazz Guru – Lenny Marcus, and started a great musical relationship and friendship. Hurley had always been a fan of Big Band Jazz like Sinatra, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, etc…and loved to sing that style but had never found anyone who could play that kind of stuff well, until he met Lenny. Over the last 4 years the two have made some beautiful music together, with Hurley performing on 2 of Lenny’s songs on the cd “Waterdrops”, which has had critical acclaim! Hurley sold his club in 2010 so he could get back to what matters most to him – his music. He continues to perform with Hoppie Vaughan in The Fat Daddy Band (and they also do a duo called Hop & Hurl), and with The Sounds of Sinatra & His Pals featuring The Lenny Marcus Trio with Kerry Hurley, you might see him in his Rockabilly band – Blue Cadillac, or as The Master of Ceremonies at some of the areas best Blues & Jazz festivals.