Sally-Ann, Robin & Dorothy Roberts
“New Orleans is my home. It always has
been. It always will be. I’ll leave for vacation,
but I can never see myself moving
away from this place,” Kelly proudly
stated.
Born on January 27, 1987, Kelly grew
up a devout Christian with a solid foundation
for family and communication. As the
daughter of the trailblazing, now-retired
WWL-TV Channel 4 news anchor, Sally-
Ann Roberts and the late Willie Jerome
Craft, as well as the niece of ABC TV's
award-winning “Good Morning America”
co-host, Robin Roberts, Kelly is living out
media aspirations of her own. As “DJ Kelly
Fresh,” guided and encouraged by such
stellar mentors as her mother and aunt,
Kelly has blossomed professionally since
taking to the airwaves in 2015.
“Positivity is a major message in
everything that I strive to do,” Kelly said,
describing the joys of hosting her show.
“Let’s Live Radio.com is an all-inclusive
party. I enjoy interviewing and getting to
know people in all walks of life. I want
everyone from all types of occupations to
feel welcome here. You never know what
you’ll learn from others or what people
will learn about themselves.”
As she reaches out to those throughout
New Orleans, Kelly reinforces family
values and spirituality on her “Community
Influence Radio Show.” Being a nurturing
mother herself, Kelly can discuss the
subject of family with a large degree of
authority. Delivering fun and facts to her
audience, while embracing a childlike
wonder of hope and laughter to all her
COVER STORY
guests, she maintains a steady flow of
harmony on her show while highlighting
the skills of all her speakers.
Many of those she interviews are musicians
who discuss their music, examples
of which are often played on-air during
the interviews.
“I want my audience here and on the
internet to know all of the real talent
that New Orleans has to offer,” she said.
“There are a lot of people who are doing
big things in this city, and my show is there
for them to share everything they have.”
One of those shows several years ago
was extra special for Kelly. While broadcasting
a live remote with Gaynielle
Neville at Café Istanbul she interviewed
a young, up-and-coming trumpeter named
Mario Abney. The interview quickly
blossomed into a friendship that, like a
storybook romance, further blossomed
into marriage in 2016. “We had such a
wonderful connection to each other,”
Kelly recalled, noting that the two of them
share a love for music and art, as well as
sharing a family.
The couple has two children between
them, Ora-Zuri Abney and Mario Abney
II. With the addition of Kelly’s son from
her first marriage, Elijah Tatum, and
Mario Sr.’s two prior children, the Abney
household now numbers five offspring. As
a testament of her admiration for music
and family, Kelly wrote a song titled
“Firstborn” for Elijah, which is available
on SoundCloud.
Growing up in New Orleans, Kelly
enjoyed spending her childhood with
her two siblings. As the middle child
between her older sister, Judith Craft,
and younger brother Jeremiah Craft,
she was an honor roll student in school.
Through both uplifting and rough times,
Kelly remained rooted in her community.
Continuing to excel in academics, she
majored in psychology at the University
of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg.
“I love psychology. I always have,”
Kelly said, adding, “It’s such an immersive
field.” She went on to relate how the
mental health sciences and arts and music
intersect with each other.
After earning her
Bachelor’s Degree
in Psychology, Kelly
enrolled at the New
Orleans Baptist
Theological Seminary
for a Masters in
Counseling. As she
explained, “I wanted
to advance my education
in counseling
others because I felt
a deep connection to
the process of helping
people through tough
times in their lives. It
makes me feel great
Sally-Ann Roberts & Kelly Abney
Kelly & Mario Abney
S E P T E M B E R / O C TOB E R 2 0 1 9 breakthrumediamagazine.com | BREAKTHRU MEDIA | 13
/Radio.com
/breakthrumediamagazine.com
