William Bell (singer)
William Bell | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | William Yarbrough |
Born | Memphis,Tennessee,U.S. | July 16, 1939
Genres | R&B,soul |
Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
Instrument | Vocals |
Years active | 1957–present |
Labels | Stax Records,Wilbe Records |
Website | http:// williambell / |
William Bell(néYarbrough;born July 16, 1939)[1]is an Americansoulsinger and songwriter. As a performer, he is probably best known for his debut single, 1961's "You Don't Miss Your Water";1968's top 10 hit in the UK"Private Number",a duet withJudy Clay;and his only US top 40 hit, 1976's "Tryin' to Love Two",which also hit No. 1 on theR&Bchart. Upon the death ofOtis Redding,Bell released the well-received memorial song "A Tribute to a King".
As a songwriter, Bell co-authored theChuck Jacksonhit "Any Other Way" (which was a cover since Bell issued it first) as a follow-up to "You Don't Miss Your Water";Billy Idol's 1986 hit "To Be a Lover",which was first a hit for Bell under its original title" I Forgot to Be Your Lover "; and the blues classic"Born Under A Bad Sign",popularized by bothAlbert KingandCream.
Although he was a longtime recording artist forStax Records,he is unrelated to the label's onetime president,Al Bell.
In 2017, Bell was awarded aGrammy for Best Americana Albumfor his recordThis Is Where I Live.He performed his hit "Born Under a Bad Sign" alongsideGary Clark Jr.at the 2017Grammy Awards.Bell was also featured onRolling Stone's "Best of the Grammys" for that year.
Career
[edit]Bell was born inMemphis, Tennessee.[1]He took the last name "Bell" as a stage name in honor of his grandmother, whose first name was Belle.
Bell sang in church as a child and considered himself a student ofThe Soul Stirrers,the popular gospel group led bySam Cooke.At age ten, he began songwriting with the original composition "Alone on a Rainy Night". At the age of 14, Bell won a talent contest and began making a name for himself singing in Memphis-area clubs.
He made his first leap into the music scene backingRufus Thomas.In 1957, Bell recorded his first sides as a member of the Del Rios,[1]a teenage vocal group that caught the eye ofStax Records.
Bell was an early signing on Stax Records initially as a songwriter.[2]Other notable Stax Records artists include Otis Redding,[3]Sam and Dave,[4]Isaac Hayes,[5]and The Staple Singers.[6]
Bell was the first male solo act to be signed to Stax Records and he was able to release several singles before joining the military. He continued to record singles while on break from deployment, including the song "Marching Off to War".[7]
It was only after Bell finished his stint in the military that he was finally able to release his debut album,[8]1967'sThe Soul of a Bell,on Stax Records.[9]Bell's top 20 single "Everybody Loves a Winner" was on this album.
Bell was a close friend of fellow Stax recording artist Otis Redding. Bell was supposed to be on the same tragic 1967 flight that led to Redding's death. "It started snowing so bad in Chicago, the promoter up there canceled my show," recalls Bell. The tragedy led to a collaboration between Bell andBooker T. Jones(ofBooker T. & the M.G.'s) who Bell knew from high school and church. Bell and Jones released "A Tribute to a King" in honor of Redding and it quickly became a hit.[10]
In 1967, Bell co-wrote an unintended Christmas hit, "Everyday Will Be Like a Holiday". The song remains one of Bell's most-recorded hits and serves as a classic R&BChristmas song.[11]In 2017,Hot Pressmagazine named the hit the "Greatest Christmas record of all time".[12]
Bell moved toAtlanta,Georgia, in 1969 and started Peachtree Record Company, his short-lived soul label.[citation needed]
During his time in Atlanta, he took acting lessons and played Stanley Kowalski in a production ofA Streetcar Named Desire. Bell later signed a two-year deal withMercury Records,where he released the 1977 single "Trying to Love Two", which hit No. 1 on the R&B charts and No. 10 on the pop charts, and sold a million copies.[13]
In 1985, he founded another label, Wilbe, and issuedPassion,which found its most receptive audiences in the UK.[1]
Two years later, Bell was inducted into theGeorgia Music Hall of Fameand received the Rhythm & Blues Foundation's R&B Pioneer Award that same year. Starting in 1992, Bell took a hiatus from the recording studio, while still performing regularly. In 2000, he released an album of all-new material on Wilbe entitledA Portrait Is Forever.In 2003, he was honored with the W.C. Handy Heritage Award. It wasn't until six years after his previous album that he released the albumNew Lease on Life.
2010s to present
[edit]In 2016, Bell reactivated the Stax Records label to release a new album. Produced by John Leventhal,This Is Where I Livefeatured Bell performing a batch of new songs, along with a revived recording of "Born Under a Bad Sign".[1]In 2017, the album was awarded a Grammy for Best Americana Album,[14]which took Bell's career to new heights including a featured performance alongside other legendary Stax acts atBBC's50 Years of Soulevent atRoyal Albert Hallin London, UK.[15]Additionally, Bell was one of the final performances at BB King's Blues Club in NYC before it closed in the spring of 2018.[16]
Bell was featured in the 2014 documentary filmTake Me to the Riverthat explored the heart of the enduring Memphis music scene. He was featured alongside other artists includingBobby Bland,Mavis Staples,andSnoop Dogg.[17]Bell is currently involved in the sequel to the popular documentary, and he calls it "a powerful little film".[10]
In 2016, Bell recordedThis Is Where I Live,his first major label album in over 30 years.[18]Bell was awarded aGrammyforBest Americana Albumin 2017, which, in turn, had such a strong effect on his streaming data thatRolling Stonecalled him "the biggest winner of the night".[19]
His song "You Don't Miss Your Water" is featured in the trailer and the first episode of the Cinemax TV seriesQuarry,which debuted in 2016.[20]
On September 1, 2017, age 78, Bell performed live at theRoyal Albert HallBBC PromswithJools Hollandand his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra in a tribute concert to 50 years of Stax Records synonymous with Southern Soul music.
Bell spent time in 2017 and 2018 touring with a group of featured artists fromTake Me to the River.The touring group was named one of the "10 Bands to See This Year" byParademagazine.[21]
In 2017, Bell performed twice onNPRMusic'sTiny Desk Concerts.He performed with his own band and again with the touringTake Me to the Rivergroup.[7]
Bell released the single "In a Moment of Weakness" in 2018 as part of theAmazonOriginalProduced Byseries. His song was produced by the Grammy Award-winningMatt Ross-Spang.[7]
Bell performed at the Mempho Music Festival in Memphis, Tennessee on October 6, 2018, as part of a tribute set dedicated toRoyal Studios.[22]In 2019, Bell collaborated withSouthern Avenueon their single "We've Got the Music".[23]
Bell performed at the 2019Blues Music Awards,where he was nominated for Best Soul Blues Male Artist.[24]
Guitar legendEric Claptonreleased a video for his 2018 cover of Bell's holiday song "Everyday Will Be Like a Holiday".[25]Bell joined several other soul legends forB. B. King's tribute concert at theCapitol Theatreon February 16, 2020.[26]A few months later, theNational Endowment for the Artsnamed Bell one of their 2020fellows,the "nation's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts. These lifetime honor awards of $25,000 are given in recognition of both artistic excellence and efforts to sustain cultural traditions for future generations."[27]
In mid-2023, Bell releasedOne Day Closer to Homeon his own Wilbe Records label, cited by critics as "a master at work".[28][29]
In 2024, theRecording Academyannounced that Bell's 1961 hit single "You Don't Miss Your Water" would be inducted into theGrammyHall of Fame, which recognizes recordings that "exhibit qualitative or historical significance".[30]
Covered by
[edit]- Linda Ronstadtcovered "Everybody Loves a Winner" on her 1973 albumDon't Cry Now.[31]
- Homer SimpsonofThe Simpsonssang "Born Under a Bad Sign" on the 1990 albumThe Simpsons Sing the Blues.[32]
- Creamcovered "Born Under a Bad Sign" on their 1968 albumWheels of Fire.[32]
- Jimi Hendrixcovered "Born Under a Bad Sign" on his albumBlues,released posthumously in 1994.[33]
- Etta Jamescovered "Born Under a Bad Sign" on her albumLife, Love, and the Bluesreleased in 1998.[34]
- 911covered "Private Number"for their 1999 albumThere It Is.
- Warren Haynescovered "Every Day Will Be Like a Holiday" on his 2011 albumMan in Motion.[35]
- Carole Kingcovered "Every Day Will Be Like a Holiday" on her 2011 albumA Holiday Carole.
- Hall & Oatescovered "Every Day Will Be Like a Holiday" on their 2006 albumHome for Christmas.
- The Byrdscovered "You Don't Miss Your Water" on their 1968 albumSweetheart of the Rodeo.
- The RevelationsandTre Williamscovered "I Forgot to Be Your Lover" on the 2012 soundtrack of the filmThe Man with the Iron Fists.
- Robert Craycovered "I Forgot to Be Your Lover" on his 2005 albumTwenty.[36]
- Melissa Etheridgecovered "I Forgot to Be Your Lover", "Any Other Way", and "Born Under a Bad Sign" on her 2016 albumMemphis Rock and Soul.[37]
- Brian Enocovered "You Don't Miss Your Water" on the soundtrack to theJonathan DemmefilmMarried to the Mob.
- Bruce Springsteencovered "I Forgot to Be Your Lover" and "Any Other Way" on his 2022 albumOnly the Strong Survive.
- Delbert & Glencovered "Every Day Will Be Like a Holiday" on their 1972 albumDelbert & Glen
- The Black Keyscovered "I Forgot to Be Your Lover" on their 2024 albumOhio Players.[38][39]
Awards and honors
[edit]- W.C. Handy Heritage Award from the Memphis Music Foundation (2003)[40]
- BMI Songwriters Award(2003)[41]
- Featured in theStax Museum of American Soul Music(2003)[42]
- Lifetime Achievement Award fromAmericana Music Association(2016)[43]
- Memphis Music Hall of Fameinductee (2016)[44]
- Grammy Awardwin: Best Americana Album forThis Is Where I Live(2017)
- Grammy Awardnomination: Best Traditional R&B Performance for "The Three of Me" (2017)[14]
- FourBlues Music Awardnominations: Album (This Is Where I Live), Soul Blues Album (This Is Where I Live), Soul Blues Male Artist (2017) (The Blues Foundation, 2018), Best Soul Blues Male Artist (2019)[24]
- Epitome of Soul Award presented to Bell byStevie Wonderat The Consortium MMT event at the Horseshoe Tunica (2017)[45]
- National Heritage Fellowshipawarded by theNational Endowment for the Arts(2020)[46]
Notable performances
[edit]- Smithsonian Folklife Festivalin Washington, D.C. (2011)[47]
- Memphis Symphony Orchestra(2012)[48]
- "You Don't Miss Your Water" at theWhite Housefor "In Performance at the White House: Memphis Soul" (2013)[49]
- Billboard Live in Tokyo (2015)[50]
- Music Hall of Fameinduction ceremony alongsideJustin Timberlake(2015)[51]
- The Cutting RoomandMetroTech Commonsas part of theBrooklyn Academy of Music's Rhythm and Blues Festival Series (2016)[52]
- Royal Albert Hallin London (2017)[10]
- "Born Under a Bad Sign" with guitaristGary Clark Jr.at theGrammy Awards(2017)[19]
- Dakota Jazz Clubin Minneapolis, Minnesota (2018)[10]
- Bayfront Blues Festival in Duluth, Minnesota (2018)[10]
- Mempho Music Festival in Memphis, Tennessee (2018)[22]
- Blues Music Awards(2019)[24]
Discography
[edit]Studio albums
[edit]Year | Album | Peak chart positions | Label | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [53] |
US R&B [53] | ||||||
1967 | The Soul of a Bell | — | — | Stax 719 | |||
1969 | Bound to Happen | — | 49 | Stax 2014 | |||
1971 | Wow...William Bell | — | — | Stax 2037 | |||
1972 | Phases of Reality | — | — | Stax 3005 | |||
1973 | Waiting for William Bell | — | — | Stax 3012 | |||
1974 | Relating | — | — | Stax 5502 | |||
1977 | Coming Back for More | 63 | 15 | Mercury | |||
It's Time You Took Another Listen | — | — | |||||
1983 | Survivor | — | — | Kat Family | |||
1985 | Passion | — | 39 | Wilbe | |||
1989 | On a Roll | — | — | ||||
1992 | Bedtime Stories | — | 96 | ||||
1999 | A Portrait Is Forever | — | — | ||||
2006 | New Lease on Life | — | — | ||||
2016 | This Is Where I Live | — | — | Stax | |||
2023 | One Day Closer to Home | — | — | Wilbe Records | |||
"—" denotes releases that did not chart. |
Compilation albums
[edit]- The Best of William Bell(1988)
- The Very Best of William Bell(2007)
Singles
[edit]Year | Label & Cat No | Title | Peak chart positions | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
US Hot 100 [53] |
US R&B [53] |
UK [54][55] | |||
1961 | Stax 116 | "You Don't Miss Your Water" | 95 | — | — |
1962 | Stax 128 | "Any Other Way" | 131 | — | — |
1963 | Stax 132 | "I Told You So" | — | — | — |
Stax 135 | "Just as I Thought" | — | — | — | |
Stax 138 | "Somebody Mentioned Your Name" | — | — | — | |
Stax 141 | "I'll Show You"[56] | — | — | — | |
1964 | Stax 146 | "Who Will It Be Tomorrow" | — | — | — |
1965 | Stax 174 | "Crying All by Myself" | — | — | — |
1966 | Stax 191 | "Share What You Got (But Keep What You Need)" | — | 27 | — |
Stax 199 | "Never Like This Before" | — | 29 | — | |
1967 | Stax 212 | "Everybody Loves a Winner" | 95 | 18 | — |
Stax 227 | "Eloise (Hang on in There)" | — | — | — | |
Stax 237 | "Everyday Will Be Like a Holiday" | — | 33 | — | |
1968 | Stax 248 | "Every Man Ought to Have a Woman"(A-Side) | 115 | — | — |
Stax 248 | "A Tribute to a King" (B-Side) | 86 | 16 | 31 | |
Stax 0005 | "Private Number"(withJudy Clay) | 75 | 17 | 8 | |
Stax 0015 | "I Forgot to Be Your Lover" | 45 | 10 | — | |
Stax 0017 | "My Baby Specializes"(with Judy Clay) | 104 | 45 | — | |
1969 | Stax 0032 | "My Whole World Is Falling Down" | — | 39 | — |
Stax 0038 | "Happy" | 129 | — | — | |
Stax 0040 | "Soul-A-Lujah" (with Johnnie Taylor, Eddie Floyd, Pervis Staples, Carla Thomas, Mavis Staples and Cleotha Staples) |
— | — | — | |
Stax 0043 | "Love's Sweet Sensation"(withMavis Staples) | — | — | — | |
Stax 0044 | "I Can't Stop"(withCarla Thomas) | 106 | — | — | |
Stax 0054 | "Born Under a Bad Sign" | — | — | — | |
1970 | Stax 0067 | "All I Have to Do Is Dream"(with Carla Thomas) | — | — | — |
Stax 0070 | "Lonely Soldier" | — | — | — | |
1971 | Stax 0092 | "A Penny for Your Thoughts" | — | — | — |
Stax 0106 | "All for the Love of a Woman" | — | — | — | |
1972 | Stax 0128 | "Save Us" | — | — | — |
1973 | Stax 0157 | "Lovin' on Borrowed Time" | 101 | 22 | — |
Stax 0175 | "I've Got to Go on Without You" | — | 54 | — | |
1974 | Stax 0198 | "Gettin' What You Want (Losin' What You Got)" | — | 39 | — |
Stax 0221 | "Get It While It's Hot" | — | — | — | |
1976 | Mercury 73829 | "Tryin' to Love Two" | 10 | 1 | — |
1977 | Mercury 73922 | "Coming Back for More" | — | 66 | — |
Mercury 73961 | "Easy Comin' Out (Hard Goin' In)" | — | 30 | — | |
1983 | Kat Family 03502 | "Bad Time to Break Up" | — | 65 | — |
Kat Family 03995 | "Playing Hard to Get" | — | — | — | |
1985 | Wilbe 201 | "Lovin' on Borrowed Time"(new version) | — | — | — |
1986 | Wilbe 202 | "I Don't Want to Wake Up (Feelin' Guilty)"(with Janice Bulluck) | — | 59 | — |
Wilbe 204 | "Headline News" | — | 65 | 70 | |
"Passion" | — | — | 96 | ||
Wilbe 205 | "Please Come Home for Christmas" | — | — | — | |
1989 | Wilbe 508 | "Getting Out of Your Bed" | — | — | — |
1990 | Wilbe 515 | "Need Your Love So Bad" | — | — | — |
1992 | Wilbe 619 | "Bedtime Story" | — | — | — |
1995 | Wilbe 624 | "Shake Hands (Come Out Lovin')" | — | — | — |
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. |
References
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- ^abc"About".William Bell.
- ^Murray, Noel (December 19, 2006)."William Bell: The Soul of a Bell · Permanent Records".The A.V. Club.RetrievedOctober 18,2016.
- ^"William Bell".Apple Music.March 29, 2024.RetrievedMay 19,2024.
- ^abcdeBream, Jon (August 13, 2018)."At 79, William Bell proves to be consummate soul man at the Dakota in Minneapolis".Star Tribune.RetrievedJuly 22,2019.
- ^"Soul man William Bell rides Grammy-winning comeback into Minneapolis and Duluth".Star Tribune.
- ^Carty, Pat."The Greatest Christmas Record of Them All?".Hot Press.
- ^"The Soul of William Bell".Vinyl Me Please.March 23, 2018.
- ^abCarr, Courtney (February 12, 2017)."William Bell Wins Best Americana Album at 2017 Grammy Awards".The Boot.
- ^"Prom 65: Stax Records: 50 Years of Soul".BBC Music Events.
- ^"William Bell at B.B. Kings (A Gallery)".Relix Media.April 23, 2018.
- ^Nash, J. D. (August 19, 2016)."Memphis Music Documentary, 'Take Me to the River,' Now on Netflix".
- ^Bell, William (March 24, 2016)."Songs We Love: William Bell, 'The Three of Me': The Record".NPR.RetrievedOctober 18,2016.
- ^abWeingarten, Christopher R.; Shteamer, Hank; Spanos, Brittany; Exposito, Suzy;Johnston, Maura(February 13, 2017)."Grammys 2017: 20 Best and Worst Moments".Rolling Stone.RetrievedOctober 8,2023.
- ^Zusel, Yvonne (December 3, 2015)."William Bell and the persistence of soul power".Myajc.RetrievedOctober 18,2016.
- ^Whitmore, Laura B. (December 27, 2017)."Musical New Year's Resolutions: 10 Bands to See This Year".Parade.
- ^ab"Mempho Music Festival Announces Daily Lineup".Business Wire.Memphis, Tenn. June 15, 2018.RetrievedJuly 22,2019.
- ^"News".Williambell.May 6, 2023.
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- ^"National Endowment for the Arts Announces 2020 Recipients of Nation's Highest Honor in the Folk and Traditional Arts | NEA".arts.gov.Archived fromthe originalon June 25, 2020.RetrievedJanuary 13,2022.
- ^"William Bell: One Day Closer to Home (Album Review)".Popmatters.April 5, 2023.
- ^"Album Review: William Bell Keeps Soul Chops Sharp on 'One Day Closer to Home'".Nodepression.
- ^"GRAMMY Hall Of Fame 2024 Inductees Announced: Recordings By Lauryn Hill, Guns N' Roses, Donna Summer, De La Soul & More".Grammy.
- ^Linda Ronstadt."Linda Ronstadt – Don't Cry Now".Amazon.RetrievedOctober 18,2016.
- ^ab"Homer Simpson – Born Under a Bad Sign".September 18, 2010.RetrievedOctober 18,2016– viaYouTube.[dead YouTube link]
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- ^Erlewine, Stephen Thomas."Robert Cray –Twenty:Review ".AllMusic.
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- ^"The Black Keys – I Forgot To Be Your Lover (Official Lyric Video)".RetrievedFebruary 9,2024– viaYouTube.
- ^Grow, Kory (February 9, 2024)."The Black Keys Beg for Forgiveness on 'I Forgot to Be Your Lover' Cover".Rolling Stone.RetrievedFebruary 13,2024.
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- ^"'David Porter & Friends' Event to Honor William Bell with 2017 Epitome of Soul Award on November 11 at Horseshoe Tunica ".Mmgmemphis.October 11, 2017.
- ^"NEA National Heritage Fellowships 2020".arts.gov.National Endowment for the Arts.RetrievedOctober 12,2020.
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William Bell releases his compositions, 'I Told You So', 'Just As I Thought' (Steve Cropper and Deanie Parker), 'Somebody Mentioned Your Name' (William Bell and Booker T. Jones) and 'I'll Show You'
External links
[edit]- William Bell official website
- Soulwalking website discography
- William Bell story and interview, part 1 (1956–69), at Soul Express
- William Bell feature, part 2 (1970–2008), with a complete discography at Soul Express
- Amny
- William Bell feature on NYTimes
- William Bell Interview – NAMM Oral History Library (2016)
- An interview with Soul Express in August 2017
- William Bell talks about his album "One Day Closer To Home" in Soul Express
- African-American male singer-songwriters
- American male singer-songwriters
- American rhythm and blues singer-songwriters
- American soul singers
- Singers from Memphis, Tennessee
- 1939 births
- Grammy Award winners
- Living people
- Stax Records artists
- Singer-songwriters from Tennessee
- National Heritage Fellowship winners
- 21st-century African-American male singers
- 21st-century American male singers
- 20th-century African-American male singers
- 20th-century American male singers
- 20th-century American singers