Blues is in her Blood
Her Grandpa played blues on his guitar. Her mother has told stories of her grandpa playing blues so sweet and low it would bring tears to her eyes. As a child the sounds of B.B. King, Koko Taylor Otis Redding and a whole host of other blues and R & B playing on her moms record player. Kelley still has the albums she used to play. Kelley’s mom still loves the blues. Being raised with it, Blues is in her blood, its in her heart, it’s all she craves.
At the age of 15 or 16 Kelley could be found many nights in the blues clubs in St. Louis and east
St Louis. Sometimes she was the only white person in the place. But it was all good Blues brought everyone together. You might wonder how a 15 yr old is in a club? Well that is a story in itself. She would steal her mom’s driver’s license and head out to listen to the great blues bands of St. Louis. The Great Johnny Johnson gave her the stage name. He and Kelley would greet each other and sometimes sit together .He always called her Big Red. “I don’t think he knew my name. I had no idea until later who he really was and what a legend I had in my friend Johnny” Said Kelley
After years of unhappy marriages and relationships, drinking and yes drugging, she finally found what she was searching for and craving. she met her husband Mike Taylor, A bass player a kind and gentle soul. The couple married in 2002 and Mike started a band. she was singing a couple songs a night with his band. But the stage was always calling her. She wanted more. The more she got the more she needed. The stage was like a drug; the high she got from the audience was the best she had ever had. she found what she was searching for. The appreciation, the applause, the drug. Now you can find her traveling and singing her songs and getting her high just about every weekend as Big Red, her alter ego, Her friend, The women she is . The barefoot blues singer. She don’t wear shoes on stage. She has a huge fear of falling on stage and the embarrassment it would cause. So she just don’t wear shoes.
Kelley met Mike at a club when she was getting tickets to see a blues band. Something told her to turn around when Mike walked through the door. He came through the door and it was like she had known him and loved him her whole life. They are true-life partners. He mentioned he had played bass since he was nine yrs old. Growing up in Chicago Mike listed to and loved the blues. His band “Storm” selling out the county fair in Homewood Ill playing blues tunes. He loves the blues and had been in many bands throughout his life. He put together his first band at the age of 13. They produced a show and sold out the school Gymnasium.
Mike is a self-taught, play by ear and feel bassist. Playing lead bass allot of the time. He adds a wonderful rich backbone to the music we create.

The band Big Red & The Soul Benders have been though many changes. Kelley was never happy with the sound of the band. Until she was in a club listening to a variety band. They were playing cover tunes of rock n roll and country. But the guitarist caught her ear. He was great. They got to talking and he decided he wanted to join the band. Since blues was what he loved and he was filling his need for the stage with stale covers. He wanted to play the blues; he has been on a journey sowing his blues seed since.
Larry Noble is a great versatile guitarist sowing his blues seeds is what he does. He has had 18 years road experience and countless hours in the studio both as a player and also as recording engineer under the wings of Carl Richardson and John Raney. He is an entertainer first and foremost. These seeds he’s sown can conger up feelings of where he's been, what he's seen, and his emotion at the time. Weather he is bending that note or just letting it hang, you feel the blues seeds he is sowing right down to your soul.
They have accomplished allot in a short time as a band. With numerous battle of the band wins and 4 time contenders in the International Blues Challenge. Being a kind of “world championship of blues“. Kelley has been two time invitee to the National Women in Blues festival and winning the Arkansas Blues and heritage award from the Arkansas Art Council. They are getting national and international airplay and Kelley Big Red Taylor was the first woman to do a live show on the King Biscuit Blues time radio show with the Great "Sunshine" Sonny Payne. It has been a journey that at times Kelley wonders why they do it and other times she knows why. It’s the drug called the blues. Once it gets in your blood its there to stay.