RAY KELLEY has worked as a professional cellist for over 50 years. At age 18, he worked in Hollywood (his home town) for one season as a cello player in a Country Western band on The Spade Cooley Show, broadcast on KTLA-TV. This was the first of many professional engagements.

In 1956, Ray began his classical music career playing one season in the Utah Symphony… and six years in the Dallas Symphony. He moved back to Los Angeles at age 25 when he joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic. During the next five years, he traveled extensively with the L.A. Philharmonic, experiencing an exciting 8-week tour around-the-world in 1967, playing in most of the great venues and concert halls of the world.

In 1968, after 12 years in classical music, he left the Philharmonic to work as a full-time, free-lance cellist on records, films, commercials and live television shows. He continues to work in the L.A. studios to this day—and is Principal Cellist on the long-running animated series The Simpsons.


Ray Kelley is Principal Cello on The Simpsons TV Show (28 years). The Simpsons is the longest-running prime-time animated series in the United States. It is now recognized by Guinness World Records as the world's longest running sitcom.

• Good Vibrations (The Beach Boys)
• Rainy Days and Mondays (The Carpenters)
• Together Again (Ray Charles)
• Dream Police (Cheap Trick)
• Take Me Home (Cher)
• If You Leave Me Now (Chicago)
• Natural High (Commodores)
• Hotel California (Eagles)
• I Will Survive (Gloria Gaynor)
• Didn't We Almost Have it All (Whitney Houston)
• Thriller / Dangerous / Billie Jean / Smooth Criminal & many more (Michael Jackson)
• Copacabana (Barry Manilow)
• Always on My Mind / Fool / Help Me & many more (Elvis Presley)
• Swayin' to the Music (Smokey Robinson)
• Chain Reaction / Love Hangover / Touch Me in the Morning & many more (Diana Ross)
• Theme from New York New York (Frank Sinatra)
• Photograph / Have I Told You Lately / Tonight's the Night (Rod Stewart)
• You're the First, the Last, my Everything (Barry White)

» AFFILIATIONS (PDF)
» RAY KELLEY'S CREDITS — Discogs  |  AllMusic

TOM RANIER has been a valuable contributor to the Ray Kelley Band from the beginning. His composing and arranging talents are wide-ranging. From Jazz to EZ listening, standards, and marching band arrangements—he does it all. His original compositions are among the nation’s favorites, with many of them playing on radio background music systems for many years.

In addition to piano, clarinet and bass clarinet, he is also proficient playing soprano/alto/
tenor/baritone saxophones, flute and piccolo. He is one of Southern California’s top jazz improvisers. At the keyboard, he reveals an increasingly personal style—brave, bluesy, intricate and just plain beautiful. He has a reputation as a solid jazzman and has performed with nearly all the greats in the jazz field.

Tom also is a primary member of the Southern California/Hollywood recording studio scene. He has worked on TV soundtracks, films, records and jingles.

Tom arranges, composes and performs on keyboards for The Academy Awards, The Emmy Awards Show, Dancing with the Stars, Disney Studios, and other assignments on records, television series’ and motion pictures.

Tom Ranier is an extraordinary talent—whether he’s playing, arranging or composing.

RALPH HUMPHREY is a master drummer, a fine composer, arranger and incredible jazz and rock ‘n’ roll guy. He is one of Los Angeles' most in-demand studio drummers. He records for TV, motion pictures, albums and jingles. He is currently performing on the hit TV show, Dancing with the Stars. Prior to that, he performed with the Band on American Idol.

Ralph was a long-time touring and recording drummer with Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. Other touring and recording experiences include the Don Ellis Big Band, Akiyoshi-Tabackin Big Band, Al Jarreau and Manhattan Transfer.

His music adventures don’t stop at the end of a recording session or TV taping. He also teaches at the Los Angeles Music Academy and gives private lessons—as time allows. The L.A. Music Academy attracts students from all over the world.

To satisfy his taste for live performance, Ralph plays in a band with Mike Miller and Jimmy Johnson. The band features Mike's eclectic mix of music, as well as originals written by Ralph. They’ll occasionally even throw in a Zappa tune.

Ralph is the author of the drum book Even in the Odds and contributes occasional articles to “Modern Drummer” magazine.

KEN WILD began playing bass in a trio with Dave Wild (his brother), after learning clarinet and saxophone. He was a founding member of the band, Seawind (A&M Records).

Ken later became a very active studio musician, working in TV, film and records. He continues in these venues today, and tours now and then with many prominent entertainers.

His records, movies and live performances are too numerous to mention and include Gloria Estefan, Tierney Sutton (records); Dreamgirls, Zathura (films); and among his live performances, he plays in the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra.

As a member of the Ray Kelley Band, he has lent a particular bass sound and has written several tunes for the Resort Music label.

DENNIS McCARTHY is one of the finest composers in film and television. He has spent his life in and around music. He’s not only a great talent—he’s a great guy!

Dennis has won 18 ASCAP awards, and two Emmys. His first Emmy Award was for his theme on Deep Space 9, and the second was for the background score for an episode titled “Unification, Part 1” from Star Trek: The Next Generation. He was nominated for nine additional Emmys for his various Star Trek-related episodes. He shared an Emmy for music composition for the 63rd Academy Awards.

Growing up in Southern California, Dennis played violin and piano. In order to support himself while studying Engineering and Physics in college, he played parties on the weekends. He eventually joined the “Surf and Car” groups and began a new career as a keyboardist in the studios. It was at that time, he met Glen Campbell (a session guitarist then). While working as a keyboard player for Campbell, he later went on to become Glen’s road arranger and conductor. That association led to Dennis becoming the musical director, arranger and conductor of the Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour variety show (4 years).

Dennis flexed his blues muscles with George Doering and composed the music for a TV series called Houston Knights, leading to assignments scoring the first of the two-hour Police Story shows.

It was about then, that Dennis became one of the composers on Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987), and continued to work on the many incarnations of Star Treks, season-after-season.

In addition to his television and film work, Dennis contributed to the Ray Kelley Band as a composer and keyboard-player. His sound is always lively, distinctive and memorable.

GEORGE DOERING is an extremely valuable asset to the Ray Kelley Band. He plays, writes, arranges, engineers… and sometimes he does this all at the same time!

There probably has never been a day in George’s adult life when he wasn't playing guitar. He began piano lessons at age 5. After hearing a Beatles record—and the electric guitars—he had another goal. He began to teach himself acoustic guitar. He continued his piano lessons—even becoming a church organ player as a teenager.

Throughout his early years, he practiced guitar all day long when he wasn't in school—and before and after school when he had to attend classes. At about age 14, his mother gave him a Sunburst Les Paul guitar—an answer to his “guitar dreams.” Throughout high school, George played in the school marching bands, playing everything from flute to glockenspiel. He also played at school dances in bands with unusual names.

George moved to Los Angeles with his many guitars, seeking “fame and fortune.” To earn a living, he played in bands that worked at weddings, Bar Mitzvahs and other special events… those are called “casuals” and George did plenty of them. One of his first professional jobs was playing the accordion! (Is there anything George doesn’t play?) He began touring with bands on the road, but switched to studio work as he gradually became known for his long hair, easy-going personality, professionalism and perfect playing on every fretted instrument. Currently, George is the #1 studio guitar player in Hollywood… working on more movies and records than anyone else—ever!!

In 2007, George had an opportunity to play guitar at the Hollywood Bowl with Sir George Martin as the Conductor of the Orchestra (A Tribute to The Beatles). George Doering had come full circle; front and center with Sir George Martin, Andy Summers, and Stewart Copeland playing those very songs that got him started.

So, all those years of practicing guitar brought him a successful studio-musician career. He is sought out for his ability to read the written music, always making it sound spontaneous. Often listed in the credits at the end of movies, his style is unmistakable: it’s perfect!

JIM COX is an amazing keyboard player, composer, arranger, music director, producer and performer. In his fingertips and in his head is all of the music he’s ever heard! Jim can write a very complicated solo as easily as signing his name. He is able to switch between electric piano, organ and acoustic piano… and brings an array of sounds rarely heard anywhere.

With one of the largest record collections in the western hemisphere, Jim knows every album, title, song title, producer, artist, composer, arranger… and their works! On record sessions, he works with many of the artists whose music he collects, including Randy Travis, Linda Ronstadt, Kenny Rogers, Ringo Starr, Dolly Parton, Mark Knopfler, Belinda, Carlisle, Johnny Mathis, BB King, Elton John, Leonard Cohen, Lyle Lovett, Ray Charles… this list is endless. Jim was the arranger on the Grammy-Award winning song “Cry” by Faith Hill. His piano-playing on the film, The Majestic, is remarkably notable.

Everywhere he works... whether in the studio or touring in live performance… he brings an unmistakable talent and professionalism.

In addition to Jim’s sound advice—as well as his unlimited talent and generosity of spirit—Jim’s music enhances and energizes the Ray Kelley Band. His music is the most out-of-the-ordinary and innovative on Resort Music’s CDs.

Cheryl Kelley has been a valuable asset to Resort Music since it's founding in 1988. Her business background includes owning a secretarial service (Your Type of Service); Development Director for the Los Angeles Children's Museum and Los Angeles County Natural History Foundation. She also was a licensed sales representative for New York Life Insurance Company (6 years)… then moving to her position as an executive with Resort Music.

Cheryl Kelley in Washington DC -- always working!