Bob “Kelly” Kelleher

As the garage bands and DIY club tours of the ‘60s evolved into the massive, planet-spanning, arena-conquering tours of the ‘70s, road managers helped bands realize their rock ‘n’ roll dreams, and few were better at their job than Robert “Kelly” Kelleher. Born in West Roxbury in 1947, Kelleher’s musical journey began with him manning the kit for Mattapan-based rockers the Yankee Clippers, though he ultimately found his calling behind the scenes. After a late-‘60s stint as Ultimate Spinach’s road manager, he hooked up in Providence with Skip Chernov and began working as a promoter rep (while also road managing for Swallow). In 1973, legendary Boston promoter Frank Connelly paired Kelleher with a hungry young rock band: Aerosmith. The ‘Smith’s tour manager, lighting director and bodyguard for the next five years, Kelleher handled all the transportation, promotion, equipment, and crew needs, letting the band focus on bringing their music to fans throughout New England, America, and ultimately, the world.

Kelleher has also popped up, Zelig-like, in numerous key moments in Boston rock history and beyond: serving as stage manager at Boston Garden for concerts by Led Zeppelin, Johnny Winter, and the MC5; working the stage crew at Woodstock for Quill; working as promoter rep for the Narragansett Beer Tribal Rock Festivals and for Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Chicago, Frank Zappa, and Joe Cocker, among many others. Throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s, he continued to serve as a tour manager, for acts as varied as Anvil, Lisa Lisa and the Cult Jam, and George Clinton and the P-Funk All-Stars.

(by Barbara A. Bellani and Stephen Haag)

Bob “Kelly” Kelleher OBITUARY

Robert “Kelly” Kelleher, one of rock’s first professional road managers, whose four-decade career included a six-year run with Aerosmith, died September 1st at Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California. He was 79.

Born January. 31, 1947 in West Roxbury, Massachusetts, Kelleher entered the touring business in the 1960s, when the profession of road management was still being invented, and worked continuously through the 1990’s and beyond. He served as Aerosmith’s road manager through the band’s rise to arena and stadium headliner status in the 1970’s, handling logistics, settlements and crisis management during one of the most demanding eras in touring history. “Kelly was the 6th member of Aerosmith,” Steven Tyler recently said.

Beyond Aerosmith, Kelleher’s credits included tours with AC/DC, Ted Nugent, Def Leopard, The Scorpions and George Clinton & the P-Funk All-Stars. Throughout his career he worked closely with famed manager David Krebs, whom he regarded as an employer, mentor and lifelong friend.

Colleagues knew Kelleher for his encyclopedic memory and his connections in every market. “Personable and professional — a Road Manager Extraordinaire,” one longtime industry friend recalled. “Plain and simple, Kelly knew everybody, in every city, in every state.”

Kelly was one of the original innovators, along with Led Zeppelin’s legendary Tour Manager, Richard Cole, who figured out that the bands should carry their own backline equipment for their worldwide tours.  This ingenuity thereby eliminated all the potential equipment malfunctions while on the road playing dates in individual markets.  It was this 60 year old philosophy that created the foundation for the professional equipment infrastructure that is seen today with every major act around the world.

In 2026, Kelleher published his memoir, *I Walked This Way: By One of the First Road Warriors to Live Out His Dream*, co-authored with Barbara A. Bellani. Eight years in the making, the book chronicles the Golden Age of rock touring from the vantage point of the man just offstage and carries an endorsement from Tyler. It was released just months before his death.

All music industry veterans and the Artists that Kelly worked with mourn the loss of this truly one of a kind Legend.  There will be a live-streamed memorial service held by Aerosmithsonians, a club of archivists and the Keepers of Aerosmith History, that Kelly held in such high regard.  It will be held on Kelly’s next birthday, January 31, 2027, in West Roxbury.  Details will be announced on social media via Kelly’s Facebook page and his Book’s page “I Walked This Way – The Book”.

(by Barbara A. Bellani)