Falling Deeper In

Kelly Cate was born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1977 and she began playing piano and singing in public just two years later. Described as a “precocious” child by her parents and three siblings, Kelly often felt misunderstood as a child and found refuge in music. Her strong sense of spirituality and the artistic expression that Kelly discovered through the keys of the piano naturally led to songwriting.

During her college years, Kelly’s devotion to her music suffered, and she was known to the President and Deans as one who continually overloaded classes in an attempt to complete her goal of obtaining a degree in psychology. In March of 1997, she was given the news that her mother had been diagnosed with breast cancer. While her mother was beginning the fight of her life, Kelly began to accelerate the pursuit of her degree. While her mother was in remission, Kelly moved to Atlanta in 1998 to begin Georgia State’s Ph.D. program in psychology, where most of her research was in equality issues, domestic violence, and women’s issues. In the summer of 1999 Kelly discovered that her mother’s cancer had returned: this time she was diagnosed as terminal. Kelly, once again, driven by the need to fulfill her promises to her mother, completed her Ph.D. in 2003 as the youngest candidate to receive this honor from the Department of Psychology of Georgia State University.

During the summer of 2001, Kelly revisited the therapy that she had used as a child to cope with the scars of adolescence as she struggled to come to terms with her mother’s illness: the songs began to flow like water. This time her music and lyrics carried a universal message and people around her began to take notice.

Never forgetting a promise that Kelly had once made when she was a little girl…that she would one day play concerts just for her mother… Kelly saw to it that she kept her word. She immediately began booking shows at college campuses and high schools throughout Georgia and donated all proceeds to cancer research. She has played many of the metro Atlanta Relay-for-Life stages, and is currently talking with Relay organizers about other venues.


At the request of her many fans, Kelly Cate is currently working on a live album.
Kelly and her husband recently welcomed a daughter, Adah Elizabeth.



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