After earning a BA in Journalism, Kelly McCartney spent three years as a personal assistant to two Bangles, a Beastie Boy, a French actress, a Hollywood hipster, and others, before turning her life-long passion for music into an incredibly varied career working in almost every area of the industry. From repping rock bands to writing about them, Kelly has covered a lot of ground while becoming one of roots music’s favorite commentators, curators, and connectors.
Over the course of those four decades in the business, some of the work Kelly has done includes being an artist rep for Vonda Shepard, Shawn Mullins, and others; freelance “expert” for AllMusic.com; managing/music editor for Velvetpark; music journalist for NPR, Stereogum, and more; and editorial director at the Bluegrass Situation; Where the rubber meets the radio road, though, is at the intersection of music journalism and broadcasting. At the BGS, she created/hosted/produced Hangin’ & Sangin’, a weekly podcast, syndicated radio show, and live event series that ran for four years. On it, she interviewed some of the best roots artists around, legends and upstarts alike.
In 2020, Kelly joined the hosts at the then-launching Apple Music Country, helming the Americana-centric Southern Craft Radio, where she interviewed Jason Isbell, Johnnyswim, Tanya Tucker, and more. Kicking off 2021 with a twist, Kelly created Record Bin Radio for Apple from scratch, in order to broaden the definition of - and representation in - American roots music with guests including Hozier, Brandi Carlile, Natalie Merchant, Ben Gibbard, Brandon Flowers, Rickie Lee Jones, Taj Mahal, Allison Russell, Joan Baez, Neil Finn, and so many others.
Because social and racial justice are deep passions of hers, both in and out of music, as an organizer and advocate, Kelly partnered with HeadCount and produced a number of voter registration benefits in Nashville with Amanda Shires, Jason Isbell, Will Hoge, Indigo Girls, and more. Additionally, in 2018, she co-founded the Rainey Day Fund and have since expanded it exponentially. Not only joining forces with Newport Festivals Foundation in 2021, but also adding two offshoot funds: the Color Me Country Artist Fund to support BIPOC in country music and the Rosetta Fund to assist marginalized journalists and creators working in the roots/country music space. Expanding on her community activism, in 2023, Kelly was honored to join the Board of Directors for the Prine family’s Hello in There Foundation.
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