William Bell (singer)

William Bell
Bell in 1971
Background information
Also known as	William Yarbrough
Born	(1939-07-16) July 16, 1939 Memphis, Tennessee, United States
Genres	R&B, soul
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1957–present
Labels	Stax Records, Wilbe Records
Associated acts	The Del Rios
Website	http://www.williambell.com/

William Bell (born William Yarbrough, July 16, 1939)^[1] is an American soul singer and songwriter. As a performer, he is probably best known for his debut single 1961's "You Don't Miss Your Water" and 1968's top 10 hit in the UK "Private Number", a duet with Judy Clay. Bell's only US top 40 hit is 1976's "Tryin' to Love Two", which also hit No. 1 on the R&B charts. Upon the death of Otis Redding, Bell released the well-received memorial song "A Tribute to a King".

As a songwriter, Bell co-authored the Chuck Jackson hit "Any Other Way", which is 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 both Albert King and Cream.

Although he was a long-time recording artist for Stax Records, he is unrelated to the label's one-time president, Al Bell.

Career

Bell was born in Memphis, Tennessee.^[2] He took the last name "Bell" as a stage name in honor of his grandmother, whose first name was Belle.

He made his first leap into the music scene backing Rufus Thomas. In 1957, Bell recorded his first sides as a member of the Del Rios.^[2]

William Bell was an early signing on Stax Records initially as a songwriter.^[3] Other notable Stax Records artists include Otis Redding,^[4] Sam and Dave,^[5] Isaac Hayes,^[6] and The Staple Singers.^[7]

It was only after Bell served a stint in the military that he was finally able to release his debut album.^[8] In 1967 Bell released “The Soul of a Bell,” on Stax Records.^[9] Bell’s Top 20 single, “Everybody Loves a Winner” was on this album.^[10] Bell moved to Atlanta, Georgia in 1969 and started up Peachtree Record Company, his short-lived soul label.^[11][12]

In 1985, he founded another label, Wilbe, and issued Passion, which found its most receptive audiences in the UK.^[2]

Two years later, Bell was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame and 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 entitled A 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 album New Lease on Life.

In 2016, Bell reactivated the Stax Record Label to release a new album. Produced by John Leventhal, This Is Where I Live featured Bell performing a batch of new songs, along with a revived recording of "Born Under a Bad Sign."^[2]

Covered by

Linda Rondstadt covered Bell’s song “Everybody Loves A Winner” on her album “Don’t Cry Now” released in 1973.^[13] Homer Simpson sang Bell’s song “Born Under A Bad Sign” on the album “The Simpsons Sing The Blues,” released in 1990. Cream has covered "Born Under A Bad Sign".^[14] Jimi Hendrix covered “Born Under A Bad Sign.” His version appeared on the album “Blues” released posthumously in 1994.^[15] Etta James covered Bell’s song “Born Under A Bad Sign” on her album “Life, Love, and the Blues” released in 1998.^[16] “Every Day Will Be Like a Holiday” was covered by Warren Haynes on his album “Man In Motion” released in 2011.^[17] “Every Day Will Be Like A Holiday” was covered by Carole King on her album “A Holiday Carole” which was released in 2011.^[18] The song "You Don't Miss Your Water" has been covered by The Byrds, including Gram Parsons on the album "Sweetheart of the Rodeo".

Honors

In 2003 he was received both the W.C. Handy Heritage Award from the Memphis Music Foundation and the BMI Songwriter’s Award.^[19] He is featured in the Stax Museum from his time with the label.^[20] Bell was inducted into the Memphis Music Hall of Fame as part of the 2016 class. ^[21]

Performances

Bell performed at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington DC in 2011.^[22] He joined the Memphis Symphony Orchestra in 2012.^[23] He performed at Billboard Live in Tokyo in 2015.^[24] In 2015 he also performed at the Memphis Music Hall of Fame induction ceremony alongside Justin Timberlake.^[25]

Recent activity

Bell has recently recorded his first major label album in over 30 years.^[26] His song “You Don’t Miss Your Water” is featured in the trailer and the first episode of the upcoming Cinemax TV series “Quarry,” which will debut in 2016.^[27]

Discography

Singles

Albums

• 1967 The Soul of a Bell – Stax 709
• 1969 Bound to Happen – 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 – Mercury
• 1977 It's Time You Took Another Listen – Mercury
• 1983 Survivor – Kat Family
• 1985 Passion – Wilbe
• 1989 On a Roll – Wilbe
• 1992 Bedtime Stories – Wilbe
• 2001 A Portrait Is Forever – Wilbe
• 2002 Collectors Edition – Wilbe
• 2006 New Lease on Life – Wilbe
• 2016 This Is Where I Live – Stax

References

External links

• 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.com
• Nytimes.com