David Kelsey – Flights of Fancy
Private press pipe organ/sythnesizer instrumental lp with a subtle PNP vibe. Tracks include “The Man I Love,” “I’ve Got My Eyes On You,” and “Marijuana.”
Waxidermy
Private press pipe organ/sythnesizer instrumental lp with a subtle PNP vibe. Tracks include “The Man I Love,” “I’ve Got My Eyes On You,” and “Marijuana.”
27 Comments
Fantastic Site!
We just played David Kelsey on the radio this past weekend:
http://www.nowlikephotographs.com/playlists/2006/02.19.html
I was looking for any info on Kelsey after the show & your site was thee only game in town. Info on the elusive winged wizard ain’t easy to locate. Our band Bodega System were guests on the local instrumental show & Mr. Kelsey was in our stack of platters. The DJ went w/ “Evergreen” although I’m personally a fan of “Marijuana”…ahem. I always dug the Suicide-esque Rhythm Box trucking thru the track but “Evergreen” was not a bad choice at all (Nice work Joe). A listener even called in to find out the particulars on the tune. Anyhow thanks for doing what you do & David Kelsey please phone home. Dude is nicer than Bruno Martelli on those keys. Oh yeah, what’s a “PNP vibe”?
Best, Patrick
David Kelsey, originally from Washington State, was a young marvel in the 1950’s on radio and TV in the State of Washington. He made his way to San Francisco and played for years at a now defunct saloon called the “New Belle” on Polk Street in the heart of the City’s Gay District. He played his Custom Allen Theatre Organ, his Baldwin synthesizer, and also his grand piano sometimes simultaneously with the organ. He also had a band called “Pure Trach” – there is a record by that name with him and his group – even pictures the whole group. He packed the place for years until it closed and then played in Walnut Creek at a piano bar. He passed away in San Francisco in 1998 at age 58 or 59. Long may his wonderful music live.
I was one of the trumpet players in “David Kelsey & Pure Trash.” David was an amazing talent and a great guy to know. He and a number of the other members of Pure Trash have gone to the “jam session in the sky.”
I knew David Kelsey as Uncle David. Yes, he was my dad’s brother. He was not from Washington State, but from the far north of California.
Uncle David was always bigger than life to me. I loved listening to him play and own a few of his albums. I really miss having him around. He is one of the reasons I learned to play, though I cannot hope to reach the level of skill that just seemed to ooze out of him.
I met David Kelsey in 1983 on my first visit to the USA to meet a friend who lived in San Francisco. That was at New Belle on Polk Street and it was one of the best experiences I had during that trip. I just loved his music and his skills playing the Theatre Organ, and I bought his record, which my husband digitalized so I can still listen to it today. I am very sorry he died so early.
I have this album as well. I remember taking my parents to see David at the New Belle. It was their first time in a Gay Bar, and they were a bit freaked out by it. However they enjoyed his show, well enough to purchase that record. My father often talked about what a great show it was, right up until his death a year ago.
I lived in the Polk Gulch area in the 80’s and, I used to enjoy listening to David Kelsey and Pure Trash on Sunday evenings, for many, many years.
What a great talent indeed.
Does anyone know where I get get his Album?
Trying to locate digitized or tape recordings of David Kelsey’s music from the 70’s and 80’s…any leads appreciated.
Ah, the memories!
David was a consumate performer and I made the New Belle obligatory whenever he was playing. Met a lover there (another organ player) and never happily anticipated the swinging chandeliers at the end of an evening.
No matter what he did, it was fun and he was always friendly toward us. The real treat was his self-accompaniment on the organ with the piano–or was it vice-versa?
That smile and certitude will always be with me and will be foremost among my many memories of my San Francisco life!
I lived a few blocks from the New Bell Saloon in the ’70s and ’80s. David Kelsey’s shows became a mainstay of my Saturday nights. The bar would be packed, smokey, and David’s show, often filled with hysterically raunchy humor, had the crowds roaring. In between his banter, he would play the organ, and often the piano simultaneously. I got to know David. I hired him and his band Pure Trash to be the house band on a local TV show on KRON-TV, called SFO. They blew the roof off the studio every Saturday night — so much so we had to ask them to tone it down — they were blowing the audio man’s headsets off. David was a very sweet guy. I remember seeing him on a float, organ and all, going down Market Street during Gay Pride parades. Undoubtedly his smoking did him in. He would have a cigarette every time he stopped playing. I’ll never forget the amazing talent, smiling face, and the devilish humor — and of course his orange/red Polo shirt he would wear each week. (Did he have a closet full of them?). He would always finish up playing “San Francisco” and the bartenders would swing the chandeliers above the bar as if there had been an earthquake. I’m consoled by the fact that I have a copy of his one (and only?) album, Flights of Fancy. David was an incredible talent and one nice guy.
I too knew David Kelsey and the New Belle Saloon. I tried to visit the New Belle three or four times weekly to watch/hear David play, and also Pure Trash. A visit to the New Belle was an “experience” to say the least. The saloon was one of a kind and David Kelsey made it so. For those who did not get a chance to visit the New Belle and Polk Street in the 1970s and 80s, you truely missed an era that will never again be seen. I am one of the lucky people who have the Flights of Fancy album and will always cherish it.
It was nice to see Doug’s comments above; Doug it has been many years since we have seen each other and hope you remember me. David always called me “Dr. Ray.” I often came to see you guys with David Fowler, one of my dear friends of the time.
David Kelsey was one of the best…. Thank you to all who have posted here, it brought back many wonderful memories.
Some of David’s friends have been contributing to a website in his memory. We have lots of photos and some recordings of him in concert and at the New Bell Saloon. We hope to be adding some videos from the 70s, too. The website is at
http://bobalder.com/David_Kelsey.html
Great to see the chat about David. I was a close friend in 78,79 and I think I still have about 40 albums in my basement, maybe more as I bought a bunch of them to help him finance his first one. Maybe I’ll list them one-bay, they’ve never been opened. Good to see Bob Alder on here, I moved from Alaska at the time.. Does anyone know if Gary Schneider, a close friend of Davids and another entertainer of the era, is still in Oakland? I’ve lost his contact info. over the years.
Re: David’s note above re: KRON’s SFO show … We were in a tiered riser with a surround that made us look like “The Muppet Show.” We laughed like grade-school kids when we got in it. We did have to hold back on the volume on the set .. it was a really loud environment and the sound just went everywhere. I used to have a copy of the show here at home .. but I think it was a Betamax version.
Forgot about the bartenders swinging the chandeliers towards the end of “San Francisco.” Remember the bartender “Kish?”
What a great time that was.
Gary Schneider, David’s good friend and talented fellow entertainer, is still in the Bay Area. Gary can be reached at garyschmaltzy@aol.com
I knew David from the New Belle Saloon on Polk Street 1981-83. It was great fun, especially the end of the evening when David played “San Fransico” and bar staff made sure all the chandeliers were swinging during the song. Time goes by so fast, and I miss those days (and David).
Yet another old Kelsey fan here. I lived just a few blocks away from the New Bell Saloon (don’t recall it being spelled with the extra ‘e’ but I could be wrong) and listened to David play almost every time I wandered in a northerly direction after work.
On one occasion, he hit an extremely rare sour note (or maybe it was deliberate!) and stopped everything right in the middle to explain: “Sorry about that, I’m a *practicing* homosexual.
He would work his way through some classic show-tune, camping it up right into the final, climactic phrase – but stop short of the last grand chord, let go of everything… dead silence… just one note to go, for crying out loud! Then he would pick up his pack of cigs, casually tap one out, lazily drag out a suitably la-de-da-looking lighter, fire up the cigarette, take one long, dramatic drag, blow the smoke up at a jaunty angle toward the ceiling… place the cigarette in the ashtray with a suave motion of the wrist and… finally let go of that that last damned chord.
No matter how many times I saw him do that bit, it tore me to pieces. Rest in peace, dear David.
Sue Dills introduced me to David in the very early 1980’s. They were looking for a trombone player. I was married, had two kids and lived in Martinez when I began playing with David and Pure Trash at the New Belle Saloon in the city.
All members were excellent musicians, and I looked forward to the weekly gig. A memory for me never to be forgotten. They were all great guys.
David seems to have been buried at the Presidio.
http://www.locategrave.org/l/883554/David-Austin-Kelsey-CA
for those who would like to visit…
My husband was in the 7th Army Soldier’s Chorus with David, so when we got married in 1975, he took me to the New Belle Saloon to see and listen to David. After going there for a couple of years, we went there for my 21st birthday. :-) I told David it was my birthday, and he almost fainted when I told him it was my 21st. But he played “Happy Birthday” for me in every imaginable tempo, which lasted about 20 minutes. All these years later, I still smile when I remember David and his wonderful talent. Someone in a prior post mentioned Kish – loved her!
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David was a great friend and a truly accomplished musician.
I first heard of him from a fellow I was dating shortly after arriving in San Francisco. At his suggestion, I stopped by the New Bell not expecting very much and was immediately blown away by David, The Allen Digital organ, the Grand Piano, and the Baldwin synthesizer all played by David. It was absolutely incredible to see him play the organ with one hand and his feet while turned on the bench to play the piano directly behind the organ with his other hand.
It was through David’s close friend, the late Peggy Treadwell, that I met David on a personal level. From that point forward I was part of his close circle. I spent many a late night/early morning (post bar) at the Grubstake or Mrs. Smith’s eating and chatting with the group well into the early morning hours.
David was an immense talent who preferred the San Francisco scene rather than seeking fame and fortune, great for us, unfortunate for the rest of the world who will never know his talent.
He came to visit me while I was living in Los Angeles. We went to Disneyland, one of his favorite places. We did it all and had a marvelous time. It was shortly after that he passed away. His friends miss him tremendously. I miss him tremendously.
Holy God, I was unaware until now that this site as tribute to my former employer David Kelsey existed. I was the second drummer with David Kelsey and Pure Trash from late 1980 until the end of the band in 1984. I replaced John Orlando, who was there for the first year or a little more. It was to date, the best time of my life. David was such a great musician, I have rarely had the opportunity to play with anyone with that much technique. He could really fly on any keyboard. Perfect time and what a great ear. My favorite musical memory of David was one Sunday when the two of us played at Oakland’s “Festival on the Lake” at Lake Merritt. While driving back to the city, in that white Ford Econoline Van of his, as always, we had the radio tuned to KJAZ. The now long defunct commercial Jazz station in the Bay Area. As we arrived at the toll plaza, the DJ announced “here is Earl Hines solo piano playing Slaughter on Tenth Avenue”, a piece David loved by one of his very favorite jazz pianist. It was a nerve wreaking ride across the bridge because 9/10’s of David’s attention was on the radio and maybe the other 1/10th on his driving. But he heard that performance one time. Since it was Sunday, we had our usual Sunday night that evening with the band back at the New Belle Saloon. He had by this time (at my behest) begun doing one piano solo a night without the organ. That night he played that performance of “Slaughter” back like a tape recorder. When he got finished the sweat (as always) was pouring off of him and the audience was swinging from the rafters. It was off the charts and as was sometimes his thing……he never played it again. He would just sometimes get a little bug in his ear like that, do it once, get it out of his system and never return to it again. The last time I saw David was the last time I played with him. He hired me for a Mardi Gras party at “Daddy’s” on Castro Street. Today the place is called 440. It was about 3 months or so before he died. He had a portable electric piano that would do just about everything that that gigantic Allan organ at the New Belle would do. How the technology had changed. But I had forgotten about his precision and speed. I had in the intervening years been playing in small pick up bands that never or rarely played at those furious tempo’s of his. It was a blast. A small piece of me died when David passed. I miss him and the other member’s of Pure Trash who have passed, victim’s of the AIDS epidemic. David Clerici, Jeff Glynn’s, Sid Smith and our first and amazing manager Ken Robertson. Ken had never managed anything before taking on the band and before the end of his first year, had us out on the road doing our first real out to town gig in Vancouver, British Columbia. It was a total triumph.
I saw David dozens of times at the New Belle. Every trip up from San Jose ended at the Belle; David was campy, hilarious, and a wonderful performer. He was witty. One time a young guy walked in wearing an arm cast. David says to him “Honey, I told you not to wear that heavy costume jewelry.” The kid just stares at him, kind of slack-jawed. David says “You don’t know what I’m talking about, do you?” When the kid says nothing, David asides to the audience “I didn’t think he did…”
Thank to Ed Mills for remembering the “pregnant chord” and the cigs. I remember that one, too.
David was unforgettable and very deeply missed.
I was a big fan of Pure Trash when I attended UC Berkeley and reading these comments brought waves of memories…good times! I know it’s been very nearly 40 years but I would just love to re-connect with drummer Doug Woods, I don’t know if he would even remember me, but I’ve never forgotten him! I can be found at lkaniger@hotmail.com and I’m on FB. Thanks!
I lived at the Fox Plaza 1980-1982 and used to listen to David weeknights. Years later I’d move to SoCal. He played a bar in Laguna Beach and asked for requests. I asked for a little Gershwin and he produced an amazing (I recall) 20-minute of Rhapsodie in Blue. I still remember his music these many years later.