Kay’s love of music goes back to the very beginning. Her father played guitar in a G.I. band while serving in the US Air Force and her mother was always playing records or the radio. Her childhood was filled with music, laughter and dancing.  At the age of 11 she took lessons learning how to play the organ, at age 13 she got her first guitar… and the rest is history. Her guitar became her best friend going everywhere with her in life.

She received a vocal scholarship from the University of Miami and by the late 70s, Kay was performing frequently at Vizcaya Museum and Gardens in Miami Florida in addition to local restaurants, coffee houses, and other venues. Kay even worked as a DJ for 2 different radio station WQDI country music and WGLY a contemporary gospel radio station. She even toured with her historical entertainment company Bards of a Feather.

Kay took time off from full time music to raise a family & build a business but never stopped performing. She continued to sing with her own professional occapella quartet the Dickens Carolers, the Jazz 4 at the Ottawa Jazz Festival, Winterlude, The Tulip Festival, and even performed on the NAC stage for a few years with Opera Lyra chorus and the Ewashko Singers. During her time with the Opera company she continued her vocal training with the famous opera singer Maria Pelligrini.

Her music was influenced by so many genres from classical to rock and bluegrass but when it came time to write her own music she always went back to her roots in folk music.

With her children grown and retiring from business in 2022 - Kay got the chance to focus on her music exclusively. After attending a song writing retreat in Nashville with Andrea Stolpe it’s like the fire hydrant of music was opened as years of original music poured out of Kay. In her short time since retiring she has written over 30 songs, performed at the Beyond the Glass Festival, PaddleFest, outdoor concerts, endless restaurants, pubs, and even hosting her own 6 part concert series supporting and showcasing local singer songwriters in the Ottawa Valley.

In the fall of 2024 Kay released her first single (which will be included in her upcoming album of the same name “Burning Clouds”). This song was written about the devastation of forest fires and she partnered with The Canadian Wildfire Fund through the Canadian Red Cross to be able to raise awareness and raise money to help the families impacted by these deadly fires. All profits from this song (including streaming royalties) is being donated to the Canadian Wildfire Fund.

Kay Francis live at Red Bird is Kay’s first full concert since her first single was released and she is donating 100% of her revenue from this concert to the Canadian Wildfire Fund to help the families in Jasper.

When asked about her sound - the response seems to be unanimous, beautiful voice, haunting melodies, engaging stories through laughter and tears - music from the heart.