- Carey Bell
Infobox musical artist
Name = Carey Bell
Img_capt = Carey Bell at theLong Beach Blues Festival , 2003
Img_size =
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Carey Bell Harrington
Alias =
Born = Birth date|1936|11|14Macon, Mississippi
Died = death date and age|2007|5|6|1936|11|14Chicago ,Illinois
Origin =
Instrument =Harmonica , Vocals
Genre =Chicago blues Harmonica blues Electric blues
Occupation = Musician, Singer
Years_active = 1956 - 2007
Label = Delmark, Blind Pig, Alligator
Associated_acts =Lurrie Bell Willie Dixon Scott Cable
URL =
Current_members =
Past_members =Carey Bell (
November 14 1936 -May 6 2007 [ [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:gcfrxqr5ldae~T1 Biography on All Music Guide] ] ) was an American musician who played theharmonica in the musical style ofChicago blues . Bell played harp and bass for other blues icons for decades, includingEarl Hooker ,Robert Nighthawk ,Lowell Fulson ,Eddie Taylor andJimmy Dawkins .Career
Early life
Bell was born Carey Bell Harrington in
Macon, Mississippi . As a child, Bell was intrigued by the music ofLouis Jordan . Bell wanted asaxophone in order to be like his hero Jordan; however, Bell's family could not afford a saxophone he had to settle for the "Mississippi saxophone", a harmonica. Soon Bell was attracted by the Blues harmonica greats:DeFord Bailey ,Big Walter Horton , Marion "Little Walter " Jacobs, andSonny Boy Williamson (I and II). Bell taught himself to play, and by the time he was eight he was quite proficient on the instrument. When he was thirteen, Bell joined his godfatherLovie Lee 's Blues band.Chicago
In 1956, Lovie Lee convinced Bell to go with him to
Chicago , a city then electrified by its own Blues scene and sound. Lee and Bell arrived in Chicago in September of that year. Not long after arriving, Bell went to the Club Zanzibar where Little Walter was appearing. Bell met Walter and soon became his student, learning from the master his tricks of the blues harp. To help further his chances of employment as a musician, Bell learned how to play the electric bass (fromHound Dog Taylor ). Bell was then fortunate to meet and learn directly from Sonny Boy Williamson II and Big Walter Horton. Horton eventually hired Bell to work with him. Bell learned the inner workings of great blues musicianship and was about to embark upon an often unrecognized and under-appreciated musical career.Despite Bell's mentorships with some of the greatest blues harp players of the genre, he arrived in Chicago at an unfortunate time. The demand for harp players was decreasing there as bands were more on the lookout for electric guitarists. To pay the bills, Bell continued to play bass and joined several bands as a bassist. He joined Big Walter's band as a bassist, and furthered his passionate study of the Mississippi saxophone with Big Walter himself. Soon after, Bell cased up his bass and polished his harp, returning to the scene with his beloved instrument. On 3rd October, 1969 Carey Bell played at the
Royal Albert Hall in London, appearing on a live recording of the event.Debut through 1980s
In 1969,
Delmark Records in Chicago released Bell's debut LP, "Carey Bell's Blues Harp". Bell later played withMuddy Waters andWillie Dixon 's Chicago Blues All-Stars. In 1972, Bell teamed up with Big Walter and released "Big Walter Horton with Carey Bell" forAlligator Records . A year later Bell released a solo project for ABC Bluesway. Bell continued to play with Dixon, and in 1978, Bell was featured on theGrammy -nominated album "Living Chicago Blues" on Alligator.During the 1980s Bell continued to record, but he was mostly preoccupied with live performances. In 1990, Bell teamed up with fellow harpists
Junior Wells ,James Cotton andBilly Branch to record "Harp Attack!". A modern Blues classic, "Harp Attack!" became one of Alligator Records's best selling albums. [http://www.alligator.com/index.cfm?section=artists&artistID=35&currTrackNum=1&playPosition=0&vol=70&pan=0&playState=play Carey Bell biography on Alligator Records website] ]Alligator years
Despite years in the business and work with Alligator, Bell's first full-length solo album for the label was not until "Deep Down", released in 1995. On the album, Bell's signature harp style is on prominent display. A seminal piece of modern blues, "Deep Down" gave Bell much deserved recognition outside of the blues circles in which he was already legendary.
In 1997, Bell released the second album on the label "Good Luck Man", which was less raw than its predecessor but nonetheless highly listenable. "Second Nature" followed in 2004, a duet album with his guitarist son,
Lurrie Bell (who shared the guitar duties with Carl Weathersby on "Deep Down"). The overall appeal of "Second Nature" is that the entire album is a single take with no overdubs.In 1998, Bell was awarded the Blues Music Award for Traditional Male Artist Of The Year.
Final work
In 2007 Delmark records released a live set by Bell accompanied by a band which included son Lurrie, guitarist Scott Cable, Kenny Smith, Bob Stroger and Joe Thomas.
Death
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