Nisha Rathode (Editor)

William Bell (singer)

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit
Also known as
  
William Yarborough

Name
  
William Bell

Years active
  
1957–present


Instruments
  
Vocals

Occupation(s)
  
Singer, songwriter

Role
  
Singer

William Bell (singer) William Bell Newsdesk

Born
  
July 16, 1939 (age 84) (
1939-07-16
)

Origin
  
Memphis, Tennessee, United States

Labels
  
Stax Records, Wilbe Records

Movies
  
Only the Strong Survive, Soul Comes Home: A Celebration of Stax Records and Memphis Soul Music

Genres
  
Rhythm and blues, Soul music

Albums
  
The Soul of a Bell, Wow / Bound to Happen, Coming Back for More, The Very Best of William B, Bound to Happen

William bell born under a bad sign hd


William Bell (born William Yarbrough; July 16, 1939) 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".

Contents

William Bell (singer) httpsuploadwikimediaorgwikipediacommonsthu

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.

William Bell (singer) William Bell Biography Albums amp Streaming Radio AllMusic

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

William Bell (singer) bell353xjpg

William bell npr music tiny desk concert


Career

Bell was born in Memphis, Tennessee. 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.

William Bell was an early signing on Stax Records initially as a songwriter. Other notable Stax Records artists include Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, Isaac Hayes, and The Staple Singers.

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

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

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."

Covered by

  • Linda Ronstadt covered “Everybody Loves A Winner” on her 1973 album Don’t Cry Now.
  • Homer Simpson of The Simpsons sang “Born Under A Bad Sign” on the 1990 album The Simpsons Sing The Blues.
  • Cream covered "Born Under A Bad Sign" on their 1968 album Wheels of Fire.
  • Jimi Hendrix covered “Born Under A Bad Sign” on his album Blues, released posthumously in 1994.
  • Etta James covered “Born Under A Bad Sign” on her album Life, Love, and the Blues released in 1998.
  • Warren Haynes covered “Every Day Will Be Like a Holiday” on his 2011 album Man In Motion.
  • Carole King covered “Every Day Will Be Like a Holiday” on her 2011 album A Holiday Carole.
  • Hall & Oates covered “Every Day Will Be Like a Holiday” on their 2006 album Home for Christmas.
  • The Byrds covered "You Don't Miss Your Water" on their 1968 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. He is featured in the Stax Museum of American Soul Music from his time with the label.

    In 2016, Bell was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Americana Music Association. He was joined by other legendary Americana acts such as Bob Weir, Shawn Colvin, and Billy Bragg.

    Bell was inducted into the Memphis Music Hall of Fame as part of the 2016 class. In 2016, Bell was nominated for two Grammy awards: Best Americana Album for This is Where I Live and Best Traditional R&B Performance for the track "The Three of Me". On February 12, 2017, Bell won the Best Americana Album Grammy award for This is Where I Live.

    Performances

    Bell performed at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington DC in 2011. He joined the Memphis Symphony Orchestra in 2012. He sang "You Don't Miss Your Water" at the White House for "In Performance at the White House: Memphis Soul" in 2013. He performed at Billboard Live in Tokyo in 2015. In 2015 he also performed at the Memphis Music Hall of Fame induction ceremony alongside Justin Timberlake.

    Recent activity

    In 2016, Bell recorded his first major label album in over 30 years. His song “You Don’t Miss Your Water” is featured in the trailer and the first episode of the Cinemax TV series Quarry, which debuted in 2016.

    On 1 September 2017, age 78, Bell performed live at the Royal Albert Hall BBC Proms with Jools Holland and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra in a tribute concert to 50 years of Stax Records synonymous with Southern Soul music.

    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

    William Bell (singer) Wikipedia