Adelaide City Council is renaming a laneway after singer-songwriter Paul Kelly, with the music icon saying he is “honoured” by the gesture.
Key points:
- Pilgrim Lane in Adelaide’s CBD has been renamed Paul Kelly Lane
- The council is renaming a number of lanes after musicians
- The next band to be honored in the laneways project will be The Angels
The newly named Paul Kelly Lane runs from Flinders Street to Pirie Street, behind the Adelaide Town Hall.
It features a series of artworks that light up and contain lyrics from various Paul Kelly songs.
Kelly was born and raised in the Adelaide suburb of Norwood and several of his songs reference places in the city.
“I’m honored to be a part of this musical laneway project and I’m glad the lane is so close to the Adelaide Town Hall where I’ve had an association for over 50 years, from playing trumpet at school speech nights, attending concerts and, later on, doing my own shows,” he said.
Adelaide Lord Mayor Sandy Verschoor said Paul Kelly Lane — previously called Pilgrim Lane, after a church next to it — would become a destination for his fans.
“Our city has an incredible musical history and Paul Kelly is an icon,” she said.
“We have such great musicians who come from this city and continue to come from this city.”
South Australian artist Heidi Kenyon created the “love” light boxes along the laneway which quote some of Kelly’s famous songs.
“Really it’s just thinking about different forms of love and I guess love as a theme in song writing,” she said.
“For me, Paul Kelly speaks to love and friendship and kinship.
“I wanted it to be accessible and for people to be able to walk past and piece together some of the lyrics.”
Adelaide has been championing its musical history by naming several laneways after artists with ties to the city.
“The city of Adelaide is committed to celebrating Adelaide’s status as a world UNESCO City of Music,” Ms Verschoor said.
“Paul Kelly is the fourth City of Music laneway to be officially opened.
“We have Sia Furler, Cold Chisel, No Fixed Address [and] now Paul Kelly and the Angels will be joining. And I just said to Paul we will make a laneway for Archie Roach and Ruby Hunter.”
The Angels will be the next band to be honoured, with a lane off Gawler Place being renamed in their honour.
A lane in the western part of the CBD was named after Cold Chisel in March as part of the council’s planned City of Music Laneways Trail.
Lindes Lane, off Rundle Mall, was renamed No Fixed Address Lane earlier that month, after the Aboriginal reggae rock band that formed in Adelaide in 1979.
Sia Furler Lane, off Morphett Street, was also renamed in March.
Adelaide’s CBD also has a Don Lane and North Adelaide has a Lois Lane.
Melbourne renamed AC/DC Lane in 2004.
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