Paul Maurice Kelly (born 13 January 1955 in Adelaide, South Australia) is an Australian rock music singer-songwriter, guitarist and harmonica player. Kelly has performed solo and led numerous groups including Paul Kelly and the Dots, Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls and Paul Kelly and the Messengers; he has been a member of associated projects Professor Ratbaggy and Stardust Five and performed with other artists and groups. Kelly has been acknowledged as one of Australia's best singer-songwriters, his music style has ranged from bluegrass to studio-oriented dub reggae, but his core output comfortably straddles folk, rock, and country. His lyrics capture Australia's vastness both in culture and landscape, he has chronicled life about him for over 30 years and is described as the poet laureate of Australia. David Fricke from Rolling Stone magazine calls Kelly "one of the finest songwriters I have ever heard, Australian or otherwise." However, he has been quoted as saying "Songwriting is mysterious to me. I don’t feel like I have got it nailed yet."

Kelly's Top 40 singles on the National charts have been his 1980s releases "Billy Baxter", "Before Too Long", "Darling it Hurts", "To Her Door" and "Dumb Things", and his 2000 single "Roll on Summer". "To Her Door" was his best local hit peaking at #14 on the Australian singles charts in 1987, while "Dumb Things" peaked at #16 on the US Billboard Modern Rock chart in 1988. Albums success included Top Twenty hits on the National charts for Gossip, Under The Sun and So Much Water So Close To Home from the 1980s; Comedy, Wanted Man, Songs from the South and Words and Music from the 1990s; and Nothing But A Dream, Ways & Means and Stolen Apples from the 2000s. The compilation album Songs from the South peaked at #2 in 1997, while his highest charting studio album was Nothing But A Dream which peaked at #7 in 2001. Kelly's iconic status was recognised in 1997 when he was inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame.

In 2001, the Australasian Performing Rights Association (APRA) listed the Top 30 Australian songs of all time, including "To Her Door", solely written by Kelly, and "Treaty", written by Kelly and members of Indigenous Australian band Yothu Yindi. Aside from "Treaty", Kelly has written or co-written several songs on indigenous peoples' social issues and historical events, including "Maralinga (Rainy Day)" on British nuclear testing, "From Little Things Big Things Grow" (with Kev Carmody) on the Gurindji strike for land rights and on reconciliation, and "Rally Around the Drum" (with Archie Roach) about a tent boxing man. Kelly has also provided songs for many other artists, tailoring them to their particular vocal range. Women at the Well from 2002 had 14 female artists record his songs in tribute.