Fred Kelly's interest in guitar began when he was a young child. He would strum with a flat pick, which suited his needs, until one day when he listened to Merle Travis on an old 45 record. Fred was deeply intrigued by Merle's picking style, and played the record over and over until he eventually wore it out. He tried to imitate Merle's style several different ways using a flat pick, but all were unsatisfactory. As Fred's interest and ability grew he held on to his intrigue of Merle's picking style and tried other picks, like the standard thumb pick, in his study to become a better guitarist. Unsatisfied with the products he used, Fred was inspired to design his first thumbpick, the Speed Pick.

Due to the overwhelming positive response the Speed Pick received from fellow guitar players, Fred Kelly designed more custom picks, leading up to the 58 different styles of picks Fred Kelly Picks offers's today. Because of his interest in guitar and the inspiration taken from incredible performers like Merle Travis, Fred Kelly now offers the largest variety of pick styles on the market. Fred Kelly has over 60 years playing guitar and understands the importance of musical signature. He has been producing custom guitar picks for over 25 years, and offers very competitive prices for all styles of picks and thumbpicks. Fred Kelly Picks is today distributed nationally throughout the U.S. and internationally throughout the world.