About Keri

Keri Kelsey is a woman with, to put it mildly, an eclectic background. Her life experiences are as diverse as traveling with the circus, riding a tiger bareback, assisting a juggler, working as an on-the-spot radio news reporter and a literary agent, signing for the deaf, and swinging 35 feet in the air from a float in the Rose Bowl Parade! (not easy for someone afraid of heights… she found, however, that fear is calmed somewhat when a paycheck is involved…). She currently hosts the longest running Open Mic in the country.

Keri draws inspiration from all these experiences for her personal and compelling performances, while earning a reputation for being, as one reviewer recently put it, “the definition of glamour.”

A native of Louisville, Kentucky, Keri Kelsey received her BA in Theater Arts from Florida Southern College. She then moved to New York City where she acted and also did various intriguing jobs, even working for the man who designed the Barbie. Keri has sung all over the world including Tavern On The Green and has performed her one woman shows all over the country.

With the birth of their son Alex, a house without wheels came calling, and it was off to Los Angeles where her husband began doing stunts in movies. After a stint as a literary agent, Keri separated from her husband and knew it was time to get back to what she loved: music. Performances at the Cinegrill, Masquers, The Plush Room and The Gardenia followed, as did a return to New York, to perform at Tavern On The Green and Danny’s Skylight Lounge. She currently co-hosts the open mic at The Gardenia on alternate Tuesdays.