Kelley Deal, the talented twin sister of Kim Deal, grew up in Dayton, Ohio, where she and her sister formed their own folk-rock duo, The Breeders, playing at local truck stops during their teenage years. When Kim moved to Boston in 1986 to join the renowned band The Pixies, Kelley relocated to Los Angeles, where she pursued a career as a computer programmer and, rumor has it, also worked as a caterer.
In 1990, Kelley was invited to join the new Breeders lineup to record an album, but unfortunately, she was unable to take time off work. However, in 1992, she did join The Breeders as their third guitarist to record the "Safari" EP. Kelley's musical talents and skills quickly made her a valuable asset to the band, and in 1993, she became the lead guitarist, just in time to record the iconic album "Last Splash".
The Breeders' success during the 1994 "Lollapolooza" tour was marred by Kelley's struggles with heroin addiction. She was sent to rehab in 1995 and eventually released in 1996. Following her recovery, Kelley formed her own band, The Kelley Deal 6000, which was initially known as Solid State but was forced to change its name due to a naming conflict with another band.
The Kelley Deal 6000 released two albums, "Goto the Sugar Alter" and "Boom Boom Boom", both in 1997, on Kelley's own label, Nice Records. After disbanding The Kelley Deal 6000, Kelley reunited with her sister Kim to work on demos and eventually found new bandmates in 2000, including Richard Presley Jr., Mando Lopez, and Jose Medeles of FEAR. The sisters released "Title TK" in 2002 and have since been touring and recording music together, including a recent Pixies reunion tour.
Interestingly, Kelley did not play on The Breeders' debut album "Pod" in 1990 due to her work commitments, with Tanya Donelly from Throwing Muses taking over lead guitar duties instead. Kelley officially joined The Breeders in 1992 to work on the "Safari" EP and later replaced Tanya as the lead guitarist in 1993 to record "Last Splash".
