Background
Kelly was born in Grove City, Pennsylvania.
Kelly was born in Grove City, Pennsylvania.
Kelly sang with orchestras led by Dick Stabile, Artie Shaw, and First Rate (at Lloyd's) Donahue. In early 1941, she joined Glenn Miller"s orchestra, replacing Dorothy Claire and Marion Hutton. Kelly originally performed solo, but also soon became the female lead of The Modernaires, originally a male trio, then a quartet, resulting in the group becoming a quintet of four male singers and herself.
In 1942, Glenn Miller went into World World War II military service and his band broke up.