Career
Born in Attalla, Alabama, Kelly"s family moved to Kalamazoo, Michigan when Kelly was a child. Like many children growing up in the city, Kelly found herself aspiring for a career in music In 1961, she joined Motown singing group The Velvelettes.
Kelly was not part of the group when the band had a hit with Needle in a Haystack, which became a hit in 1964.
Betty Kelly joined what became the most famed lineup of the Vandellas, coming in quickly to record the single "Dancing in the Street". The group found bigger success than they ever had before with that and many other songs recorded during Kelly"s tenure with the group, including "I"m Ready for Love", "Nowhere to Run" and "My Baby Loves Maine".
The lineup of Reeves, Ashford and Kelly helped the group become international stars gaining popularity from performances from The Editor Sullivan Show, Shindig! and American Bandstand. Kelly"s vocals contrasted from original member Beard"son
Kelly was fired from the group in the summer of 1967—about the same time that Florence Ballard was fired from the Supremes—and was replaced by Martha"s younger sister Lois Reeves with the group"s name changed to Martha Reeves and the Vandellas.
After her Motown years, Betty moved to California where she worked for Home Savings and Loan Association on Sunset Boulevard and Vine Street until retirement. Kelly is said to have fully retired from music after she became partially deaf in one ear. In 1995, Betty Kelly was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a Vandella alongside Martha and Lois Reeves, Annette Beard, Rosalind Ashford, and Sandra Tilley.
She remains connected to her Motown family, participating with Janie Bradford"s Annual Heroes & Legends Awards, working with other artists at music festivals such as "Sunset Junction," and most recently attending a special artist family night of "Motown: The Musical" on Broadway.