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Short Bio
The Nathan Shelkey Homepage

The meeting of the minds:  Tone and his brother Brent "Fingers" Shelkey

The story, the myth, the legend. . . behind the man. Enjoy the pomp, the circumstance, the pageantry, the sheer exhiliration of vicariously enjoying the life and times of Shelktone.

A Brief History of Our Artist:

Nate can trace his musical roots back to when he and his twin brother Brent (now tearing up the musical scene in Charlotte, NC) starting playing as wee young lads. When they reached high school, they both found ways to invest their money in sure-fire girl magnets: Brent bought a guitar, Nate bought a car. Needless to say, Nate's career was put on hold - but the fire was still there.

In the Fall of 1997, Nate drove his trusty Shelkcar down to Harrisonburg, Virginia to visit some college buddies. An impromptu jam of Doo-Wop led to the short-lived (but much loved) supergroup "Hunter Hanger and the Shelktones".

Nate moved into The Stump House in the Fall of 1998. Nestled in the heart of Rosslyn Va, Nate found his musical sensibilities aroused by the Washington night-life, the drudgeries of working for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the heartache of post-collegiate life. He borrowed his roomate's old beat-up guitar and started to play.

Shelkey spent long hours researching VH-1 Behind the Music as well as drawing from his roomies' songs such as "Bert and Ernie". However, other than the occasional good-time drinking song such as "No Excuse Tuesday", the tunes weren't coming...yet.

In the summer of 1999 the Stumpers magnanimously took on a freeloading college grad with nowhere to go. Siobhan O'Malley slept on the living room couch for three weeks before finding her own place. As a tribute to the Stumpers she wrote a poem of thanks. It was so catchy it needed a tune. In less than an evening, "Stump House Thanks" was born. Shelkey and O'Malley collaborated over the next few months until she left for a tour of Ireland.

When the Stump House disbanded in the Fall of 1999, Shelkey went to live in the basement of his friend's mother's house. Appropriately named The Cricket Hut, Shelkey communed with the critters and started writing his own songs.

When he moved to New York city in January of 2000, Shelkey had amassed over ten songs and a small following. Now he resides in Queens and is in the process of completing his much-anticipated full-length album.

Hippie Shelktone in his "wilder" college days

A small glimpse into the mysterious life of the one known as Shelktone.

Springfield, Harrisonburg, London, Arlington, and New York.
Nathan Shelkey: Citizen of the World.