After evolving from a somewhat archaic form of old-timey music of the back porch variety, today’s bluegrass has become a populist genre filled a crowded fiel...

For years Irene Kelley has been one of the best kept secrets in Nashville, weaving her magic into song after song for artists like Ricky Skaggs, Alan Jackson...

The longstanding joke, usually told by Keystone State residents themselves, is that Pennsylvania is "Pittsburgh on one end, Philadelphia on the other, and Ke...

When Stuart Duncan’s fiddle leaps off the first song, “You Don’t Run Across My Mind,” on veteran songwriter Irene Kelley’s new album, Pennsylvania Coal, we c...

Homespun and spun with genuine sentiment, Pennsylvania Coal is an affecting piece of work from an artist clearly on the verge of a big breakthrough. With a s...

Nashville-based Irene Kelley, who hails from Latrobe, Pa., has had her songs recorded by Alan Jackson, Loretta Lynn, and other country stars. Pennsylvania Co...

Drawing on her love of bluegrass and classic country music, Irene Kelley is stepping back into the spotlight with Pennsylvania Coal, her first album in more ...

In 1983, Irene Kelley made her first trip to Nashville and found what seemed like a bluegrass paradise. "We came here on our honeymoon," she tells the Scene....

Established singer-songwriter Irene Kelley celebrated the Feb. 11 release of her new collection, Pennsylvania Coal, with a show at The Bluebird Cafe. Joining...

I wasn’t prepared for what happened the first time I hit play on Irene Kelley’s new CD, Pennsylvania Coal. I’ve known and admired her work as a songwriter an...

The title track of Irene Kelley’s handsome new album, “Pennsylvania Coal,” pays tribute to her grandparents’ struggles in a mining town outside Pittsburgh. T...