- Illustrated album covers for the rock acts KISS, Manowar, Sleepy Hollow, Rainbow and Ace Frehley. It was KISS drummer Peter Criss who put the artist on the band's radar as he was an avid reader of Eerie and Creepy magazines.
- A fantasy artist for over 50 years, he focused in particular on paintings in the sword and sorcery and heroic fantasy subgenres.
- Throughout the 1970s he was one of the foremost cover artists on Warren Publishing's Creepy and Eerie magazines.
- In the early 1970s he did a couple of cover paintings for Castle of Frankenstein magazine.
- Began his career in the early 1970s working on comic books and horror magazines for Warren Publishing.
- Was the nephew of Frank Frazetta's wife Eleanor "Ellie" Frazetta (1935-2009), whose maiden name was Kelly. Early in his career he was able to study the paintings of Frank Frazetta in the latter's studio.
- Illustrated the album covers for KISS' Destroyer (1975), Rising (1976) and Love Gun (1977).
- Manowar used Kelly for six albums between 1987 and 2007; Coheed and Cambria featured an original Kelly piece on their 2007 LP No World for Tomorrow; and Kelly reteamed with former Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley for his 2014 solo album Space Invader.
- He developed the artwork for Coheed and Cambria's album, Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume Two: No World for Tomorrow, and a painting of his was used as the cover art for Alabama Thunderpussy's 2007 release, Open Fire. In 2012, one of Kelly's paintings was used for the cover of Electric Magma's 12" vinyl release Canadian Samurai II.
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