New Album for UMD Alumna "Charity"

Charity, UMD's Kelly Henderson, debuts music career with "Tears Will End"

Charity (Kelly Henderson)

UMD theatre program graduate Kelly Henderson loves to perform. While growing up in her home town of Hermantown, she acted and sang in school productions. At UMD, she not only performed in season productions like "Sweet Charity" and "Gypsy", she also spent four summers in UMD's Minnesota Repertory Theatre. After graduating from UMD in 1989, she moved on to graduate school (Rutgers University) and acted in New York City. Then she began to write and perform her own songs.

Now, her new album, "Tears Will End," has just been released by Nashville's Curb Records. they call it "an explosion of rock-hard beats and a swirl of dreamy ballads, a package packed with passionate moments, all wrapped together by a singer you'll never forget."

This album has taken a while to develop. In the late 90s, Henderson put a band together, Wee Little Kelly; they recorded an album and began to play throughout the Midwest. When they took first place in the Midwestern Christian Band Contest, they were offered a contract. That contract fell through, but another one with Curb Records soon materialized.

UMD Theatre professor Ann Bergeron said, "One of the things that brings a richness to Kelly's music is her ability to bring her acting to her performance." She said Kelly's songs are moving and diverse. "There are touching deep pieces, pieces that are danceable and it has a nice range of poetry, too."

Kelly and her husband, Murdock Henderson, who is deaf, are moving to Boston soon. Murdock is pursuing his doctorate in clinical psychology.

Posted Oct 19, 2004.