[citation needed] Kelly sang with orchestras led by Dick Stabile, Artie Shaw, and Al Donahue.

[3] In early 1941, she joined Glenn Miller's orchestra,[4] replacing Dorothy Claire and Marion Hutton.

In the late 1970s, Kelly and The Modernaires kept swing era music alive with their performances in various venues.

[4] She married Hal Dickinson,[4] one of the original members of the Modernaires, on December 31, 1939, shortly after joining the group.

[7] Kelly died at a convalescent home in Costa Mesa, California on April 2, 1992, four days before her 73rd birthday.