The cancellation of a highly anticipated concert featuring Pure Prairie League, Poco, and Orleans served as an unexpected catalyst, leading me down a rabbit hole of musical nostalgia. My anticipation for Orleans’ performance, in particular, ignited a renewed fascination with their rendition of the timeless classic, “Dancing in the Moonlight,” originally by King Harvest. This song, penned by the talented Sherman Kelly, has always held a special place in my heart as an iconic tune from the 1970s. Its smooth melody and feel-good lyrics are instantly recognizable, but the story behind “Dancing Moonlight King Harvest” and its creation is far more complex and compelling than you might imagine.
Sherman Kelly, the songwriter behind “Dancing in the Moonlight King Harvest”, performing on stage in the 1970s.
Drawn by the allure of untold musical histories – the very essence of what fuels my passion for The Vinyl Dialogues – I was thrilled to discover a recent comment from Sherman Kelly himself on an Orleans YouTube video of “Dancing in the Moonlight.” This serendipitous moment sparked a burning question: Could I connect with Sherman Kelly and persuade him to share the captivating narrative behind the creation of “Dancing in the Moonlight,” the quintessential King Harvest song?
To my delight, the answer was a resounding yes. And what unfolded was a story far more dramatic and unexpected than I could have ever anticipated, revealing the dark origins that blossomed into the joyful tune we know as “dancing moonlight king harvest.”
In 1969, Sherman Kelly and his friends were living the island life, managing a nightclub in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. Seeking a day of adventure, they chartered a yacht to St. Croix. Unfortunately, the idyllic voyage took a turn for the worse when Kelly and his girlfriend succumbed to severe seasickness. Upon reaching St. Croix, while the rest of the group ventured ashore for dinner, Kelly and his girlfriend, still battling nausea, decided to remain on board.
However, gazing at their boat bobbing in the harbor, the thought of spending the night onboard became unbearable. They opted for a hotel on land, only to discover Kelly had left his wallet on the yacht. Penniless, they approached a local innkeeper, explaining their predicament and promising to settle the bill the next morning. The innkeeper’s unsettling proposition – accommodation in exchange for Kelly’s girlfriend’s company – left them searching for alternatives.
Rejected by a second inn, Kelly’s girlfriend suggested a more romantic, albeit less conventional, solution: “It’s a beautiful night. Why don’t we just stretch out on the beach?”
“So we did,” Kelly recounted. “And that’s all I remember very clearly.” This seemingly romantic decision would soon descend into a terrifying ordeal, the stark contrast to the carefree joy evoked by “dancing moonlight king harvest.”
The events that followed are a chilling tapestry woven from fragmented memories and the accounts of others. While sleeping on the beach under the “dancing moonlight,” Kelly and his girlfriend were brutally attacked by a vicious St. Croix street gang. Five assailants, wielding baseball bats, inflicted severe injuries on Kelly, while his girlfriend was subjected to a horrific assault. In a moment of desperate courage, Kelly regained consciousness and fought back, his resistance startling the gang and forcing them to flee.
King Harvest band members in 1972, the year “Dancing in the Moonlight King Harvest” became a hit.
Disoriented and injured, they stumbled along the shore, guided by distant lights, eventually reaching the island’s only hospital. Unknowingly, Kelly and his girlfriend had become victims of the notorious Fountain Valley Gang, infamous for their later horrific crime in 1972, where they murdered eight tourists, devastating St. Croix’s tourism industry for years to come.
Kelly’s condition was critical. “I woke up to the sound of my hospital roommate screaming in pain. Finally the screaming stopped and I heard two doctors talking about him. ‘That’s it, he’s gone,’ said one doctor about the other patient. ‘What about him, you think he’s gonna make it?’ And the other doctor said, ‘No, I doubt it.’ I realized they were talking about me,” Kelly recalled, the brush with death a stark prelude to the life-affirming message of “dancing moonlight king harvest.”
Against the odds, Kelly survived. He spent days recovering in the St. Croix hospital before returning to St. Thomas and then eventually to New York. There, doctors at New York Hospital undertook the arduous task of reconstructing his shattered facial bones and treating his other injuries.
Back home in Ithaca, New York, still enduring pain and persistent headaches, Kelly was unable to return to performing. However, his creative spirit remained unbroken. It was during this period of convalescence, amidst physical and emotional trauma, that the seeds of “Dancing in the Moonlight,” the future King Harvest hit, began to sprout.
“I envisioned an alternate reality, the dream of a peaceful and joyous celebration of life. It was just me imagining a better world than the one I had just experienced in St. Croix,” Kelly explained. From the depths of a horrific ordeal emerged a vision of joy and tranquility, a stark contrast that perhaps explains the enduring appeal of “dancing moonlight king harvest.”
The traumatic experience that nearly claimed his life became the unlikely catalyst for a song that would bring joy to millions. “It was amazing. People liked the song right from the start. I liked it, but I wouldn’t have predicted that it would become a big hit,” Kelly admitted, highlighting the unpredictable journey of “dancing moonlight king harvest” from personal trauma to global recognition.
Before King Harvest propelled it to international fame, “Dancing in the Moonlight” had a regional introduction. In 1970, Kelly joined Boffalongo, a band featuring his brother Wells Kelly, Larry Hoppen, Dave “Doc” Robinson, and Peter Giansante. The Boffalongo album “Beyond Your Head” (1970) featured their version of “Dancing in the Moonlight,” with Sherman Kelly on vocals.
Boffalongo, Sherman Kelly’s band before King Harvest, circa 1970.
Kelly is self-deprecating about his vocal performance on the Boffalongo version. “The first time I was in a recording studio for that version, we had these producers who thought it was a good idea to give me cocaine. That was probably the worst idea,” he revealed. Despite the chaotic recording experience, the Boffalongo rendition gained regional traction. Another group, High Broom, also recorded “Dancing in the Moonlight” in 1970, but their version didn’t chart.
When Boffalongo disbanded, Wells Kelly joined King Harvest, a band then based in Paris and fronted by Doc Robinson, also a Boffalongo alumnus. Wells introduced “Dancing in the Moonlight” to King Harvest, setting the stage for its transformation into a chart-topping hit.
The King Harvest version of “Dancing in the Moonlight,” featuring Robinson’s lead vocals, was released as a single. It soared up the charts in 1972, reaching No. 10 on the Cash Box Top 100 and No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100, forever linking the band name to the “dancing moonlight king harvest” magic. To capitalize on the song’s success, King Harvest invited Sherman Kelly to tour with them. During live performances, Robinson handled lead vocals for “Dancing in the Moonlight,” with Sherman Kelly adding harmonies.
“Doc had a pretty good voice, better than mine,” Kelly chuckled. “I remember one critic said about me, ‘As a singer, Sherman Kelly is not too bad of a songwriter.’ That was amusing, and true.” Despite the thrill of touring with King Harvest, the nomadic lifestyle wasn’t for Sherman Kelly. His stint with the band lasted only one tour.
Wells Kelly eventually left King Harvest and reunited with John Hall, with whom he and Harvey Brooks had played in Thunderfrog in the late 1960s. Together with Larry Hoppen from Boffalongo, Wells Kelly and Hall formed Orleans. Orleans also recorded “Dancing in the Moonlight,” further cementing the song’s legacy. Even today, Orleans, featuring John Hall and Larry Hoppen’s brothers, Lance and Lane Hoppen, continues to perform “Dancing in the Moonlight” in their sets, keeping the “dancing moonlight king harvest” spirit alive. Larry Hoppen passed away in 2012, but his musical heritage endures.
Sherman Kelly and Larry Hoppen, bandmates before Larry Hoppen formed Orleans, preserving the “dancing moonlight king harvest” song.
Sherman Kelly’s journey extends far beyond “Dancing in the Moonlight.” A graduate of Cornell University with degrees in psychology and English, he furthered his education at prestigious institutions in Paris, Switzerland, and New York City, all before penning his iconic song. Following the tragic death of his brother Wells in 1984, Sherman Kelly stepped away from the music industry and pursued a career in psychotherapy, earning a master’s degree in social work. He worked as a psychotherapist for many years until his retirement.
In 2008, Sherman Kelly returned to his musical roots with the album “Burnin’ the Candle,” which included collaborations with his late brother Wells. “Dancing in the Moonlight” continues to resonate across generations. Toploader’s 2000 cover became another hit, and the song has graced numerous films and television shows. In 2017, it featured in the “Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Signs” video game, underscoring the timeless appeal of “dancing moonlight king harvest” and its journey from trauma to triumph.
Sherman Kelly today, the man behind the enduring “dancing moonlight king harvest” song.
