PUBLISHED JULY 7, 2016
Music City lured local entertainer
By PHYLLIS HODGES
Kelly Emerson and Gary Garbelman played together as The KEGG for 15 years before Kelly moved to Nashville last year. They will be performing in Sun City Center August 20. Kelly is the KE; Gary is the GG in the duo’s name.
“Are you crazy?” was Kelly Emerson’s first response to wife Amy’s proposal to move to Nashville in late 2014. She had been offered her dream job at Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Cardiology Department. In the end, his love for Amy tipped the scales and they made the leap.
Kelly had a lot of ties in Florida. Performing as The KEGG, he and Gary Garbelman delighted audiences throughout the area with their music. He had a good “day job” with the Sun City Center Community Association leading its maintenance department and could envision retirement a dozen or so years ahead. They had a nice house in Sundance with property that accommodated their two horses—Siska and Cash, and family was nearby; Kelly’s mother and two brothers live in Port Charlotte and Sarasota.
Now, 18 months later, friends and fans are wondering how the Emersons are faring. After a weekend visit this summer, Bill and Phyllis Hodges can report that all is well. Although the move to Tennessee has had Kelly and Amy on an emotional roller coaster—and they are still adjusting, they seem to be just where they are supposed to be. They love their home on the outskirts of Nashville. With six acres, there is plenty of room for their two horses, dog and two cats. Amy loves her job and has a sister only two hours away. Kelly is putting his maintenance and supervisory skills to good use at the Green Hills Health and Rehabilitation Center.
Kelly and Amy Emerson are settling in their new home near Nashville, Tenn.
As a singer, song writer and banjo/guitar player, Kelly’s heart is beating a bit faster these days. The move to Music City has given him a whole new perspective, and he is absorbing all the advice his new friends are giving him about the do’s and don’ts of the area. He learned quickly that it is common for musicians to perform on the street (called busking), so he tried it and loved it. “It is great to meet so many tourists as well as people who live here. Everybody is nice and friendly and want[s] to talk,” he said. “I also learned that when you meet a celebrity on the street, you don’t take their time by starting a conversation. You just greet them with a friendly hello and let them take it from there.”
He has crossed paths with some well-known entertainers — Vince Gill, for example, and Jeff Hannah, lead guitarist for The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. He also had a recording session at the home of Michael McDonald (The Doobie Brothers) and accompanied Kat Hunter at The Bluebird Café. The Bluebird is where newcomers aspire to perform, since it has a reputation as a hangout for talent scouts. (Hunter wanted Kelly to travel with her, but he declined.) He also performed alone there, singing “What’s Your Plan for Me,” a song he wrote since moving to Tennessee.
Kelly is pragmatic about how much he will be able to blend public performances into his new life. “Right now getting settled in the new house is taking a lot of time, but I am continuing to meet people, write songs and performing when an opportunity presents itself. I enjoy studio work and am excited about a CD that my dad and I are going to record together.” Kelly’s dad is Bill Emerson, a renowned banjo player in the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame. It is clear that Kelly is proud of his dad’s success and grateful to him for the “music genes” he passed down to his son.
Gary Garbelman, Kelly’s partner in The KEGG for 15 years, says that Kelly is like a brother and left a big hole in his heart when they parted. He is still performing at private events but says right now his new grandson is a priority.
Both Garbelman and Kelly are psyched about reuniting in August. The Sun City Center Community Association has booked them in Rollins Theater (CA Central Campus, N. Pebble Beach Boulevard) as part of its summer entertainment series initiated this year.
CA Entertainment Director Lynn Manzi says The KEGG will be performing at 2 and 6 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 20. Theater capacity is limited to 145 per show. Tickets are $8 each and on sale now at the ticket kiosk in the Atrium Building on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9 to 11 a.m. They will also be sold at the door, if there are any tickets available. For information, call 813-642-2001.
