WASHINGTON, DC — For major market cities, who no longer sponsor 100,000-watt urban radio stations, or for domestic travelers who don’t enjoy losing radio signals on long-distance road trips — satellite radio serves as a viable option for specialized listeners who still seeking urban, funk, gospel and soul ditties.
For Baltimore area listeners who fondly recall a special era when Black radio disc jockeys were the spotlighted stars of a particular city, a young, rising radio star on SIRIUS-XM satellite radio is carrying the Black radio deejay mantel onto new heights.
Cayman Kelley possesses the silky, baritone chops ala Soul Train founder, Don Cornelius. With Kelley hailing from the radio hotbed of Washington, DC, the deejay says he was initially influenced by now deceased WHUR personality Melvin Lindsey, most widely known as the creator of the “Quiet Storm” late-evening format at the campus of Howard University. Kelly’s formative years in the business occurred simultaneously during the rise of Black Entertainment Television, where Donnie Simpson parlayed a successful DC radio career to his widely successful TV stint as BET’s nightly ‘Video Soul’ host.
“I got bit by the bug when I was 15,” says Kelly, now 42. “I got invited to come to WPGC (95.5) studios by an on-air jock named Albie Dee. He heard my voice, and said I sounded a lot older – and he suggested I find my way into the business.”
Though his teenage years coincided with the rise of hip-hop, Kelly said he’s always aligned himself with more of the traditional RnB. “Hey I was, and still am, a huge Stevie Wonder fan,” he proudly admitted.
During his daily shift from 12 noon to 6 p.m. (EST) on SIRIUS-XM’s Heart and Soul Channel 48, in the VIP ROOM, Kelly offers a diverse playlist of current RnB, mixed with the finest cuts from the 90s and early 2000s. In addition to his knack for playing good music, Kelly’s on-air talent harkens to a period before Black radio formats were reclassified as “urban” radio.
Kelly keeps it real, and in the tradition of Black radio legends like Chicago’s Herb “The Gent” Kent and Atlanta’s “Jack The Rapper” Gibson, and “Fast” Frankie Crocker of New York City, Kelly is a man of the people. His delivery has a direct connection with his listeners and his soulful flavor and style is very influential in affecting reaction among his listenership.
Importantly, Kelly is aware of his predecessors and pays homage to his past colleagues.
“Like the greats from yesteryear, my philosophy in radio is to always be relatable to my listening audience. In today’s radio, it’s become so corporate, that they tell you what to say and when to say it, or play it. Instead, I try to be to relate to you while you’re listening to me. I’m really a genuine lover of music, so, I try to come off that why. I have friends who are artists, so, I like to consider myself as the liaison between the artist and the listener.
Kelly is also aware of the challenges today’s deejays face versus yesteryear, prior to the computer technology upswing.
“We’re fighting for ears and viewers everywhere and you have to be cognizant of that as technology advances, because radio is so corporate now, a lot of artists don’t get the correct exposure – which causes us to be a little more flexible in the process of creating stars — for me, I enjoy being the blessing to them (artists), to let them perform in my studio and offer my audience that type of exposure to them.”
Kelly was raised as one of three children in a “stable” home both in Northeast DC, and Fort Washington, Md. He earned a Mass Communications degree from Frostburg State University in western Maryland, before landing engineering and voice-over gigs at BET, where he would eventually work with one of his mentors, Donnie Simpson.
In addition to his radio career, Kelly’s golden vocals have earned him status as a highly-sought after voice-over talent for national commercials and station identification spots.
When he finds time to relax at home, he enjoys the company of his three youngsters, ages 11, 8 and 5 – while remaining happily married to his medical physician wife. “We’re on total opposite ends of the spectrum, but it’s working out very nicely,” said Kelly in describing his marital relationship.
(EDITOR’S NOTE: Cayman Kelly can be heard daily on SIRIUS-XM Channel 48 (Heart & Soul Radio). He can be contacted on Facebook at Caymankelly; Twitter @caymankellyshow and Instagram-caymankelly; For more information, contact Cayman Kelly Management/Bobby Shields, 919-324-4573).
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