Richard Bell (Canadian musician)

Richard Bell (b. March 5 1946, Toronto - d. June 15 2007, Toronto) was a Canadian musician. Known for his session and live performance work, he is perhaps best remembered as the pianist for Janis Joplin and her "Full Tilt Boogie Band" and was a keyboardist with The Band during the 1990s.

Early life and career

Richard Bell was the son of the Canadian composer and musician, Dr. Leslie Bell. He started playing the piano at the age of four and studied music at Canada's Royal Conservatory of Music. [AP via the "Arizona Republic", "Former Joplin bandmate dies of cancer" June 19 2007]

Bell's career first gained significance when he joined Ronnie Hawkins as a member of the group "And Many Others", following the departure of Hawkins' previous band (who would gain fame as The Band). [ [http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=U1ARTU0000853 Crowbar ] ] Hawkins fired the entire band in early 1970, and they renamed themselves Crowbar, subsequently recording "Official Music" (as King Biscuit Boy with Crowbar) (1970, Daffodil; 1996, Stony Plain). Bell left Crowbar shortly after this to join Janis Joplin's Full Tilt Boogie Band, making good on an offer made the previous year by her manager. [Rockingham, Graham, "Richard Bell, an original Hamilton rocker, dead at 61" "Hamilton Spectator", 18 June 2007]

Janis Joplin

In the late 1960s, while touring with Hawkins at the Fillmore East, he was approached by Joplin's manager Albert Grossman and invited to join her new ensemble. His playing can be heard on her posthumously-released album "Pearl" [http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/richard%20bell%20dies_1034665 "Contact Music" "Richard Bell dies" 20 June 2007] and many bootleg recordings from her 1970 tour, including performances from the Festival Express "train tour" of Canada. Bell was interviewed many years later for the 2003 documentary film of the same name.

ession work

Following Joplin's death, Bell moved to Woodstock, New York, where he did work as a session musician. Among those he worked with during this time were Paul Butterfield and John Sebastian.

Other acts Bell has worked with include Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, Bruce Cockburn, Judy Collins, Cowboy Junkies, Bob Dylan, Michael Kaeshammer, Bonnie Raitt and Joe Walsh. [http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/richard%20bell%20dies_1034665 "Contact Music" "Richard Bell dies" 20 June 2007]

The Band

In 1991, Bell joined the reconstituted line-up of The Band as a keyboardist, replacing Stan Szelest (himself a replacement for original pianist Richard Manuel, who committed suicide in 1986). Bell remained with "The Band" through their final three albums ("Jericho", "High on the Hog", and "Jubilation"). [AP via the "Arizona Republic", "Former Joplin bandmate dies of cancer" June 19 2007] , for which Bell also received some songwriting credits. The death of Rick Danko in 1999 essentially ended "The Band".

Later Years

In the last number of years before his death, Bell performed as keyboard player with Canadian roots-rock performers such as Colin Linden, Blackie and the Rodeo Kings and Kathleen Edwards. [Rockingham, Graham, "Richard Bell, an original Hamilton rocker, dead at 61" "Hamilton Spectator", 18 June 2007]

At the time of his death, the Toronto-based musician performed regularly as a keyboardist/songwriter/occasional vocalist with the Porkbelly Futures. [AP via the "Arizona Republic", "Former Joplin bandmate dies of cancer" June 19 2007] and Danny Brooks & the Rockin' Revelators. (He produced two of Brooks' albums.) Bell was also a member of the country-rock group, Burrito Deluxe, performing and contributing songs to their recent CD, Disciples Of The Truth, which was released in Feb. 2007 on Luna Chica Records. [ [http://www.nashvillemusicguide.com/nmg_036.htm Nashville Music Guide] ]

Bell died after a long battle with multiple myeloma, a type of cancer, on June 15, 2007 in Toronto's Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, at the age 61. [AP via the "Arizona Republic", "Former Joplin bandmate dies of cancer" June 19 2007] [ [http://www.boston.com/news/globe/obituaries/articles/2007/06/20/richard_bell_61_rock_keyboardist/ Richard Bell, 61, rock keyboardist - The Boston Globe ] ] [http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/richard%20bell%20dies_1034665 "Contact Music" "Richard Bell dies" 20 June 2007]

References

Richard moved to Atlanta, Georgia in the 80's, then to Alabama for a few years, where he played in a local working band, The Convertibles, with bandmates, among others, Scott Boyer and Tommy Tarlton (Cowboy), Topper Price, Brian Wheeler (Locust Fork) and Rick Kurtz (Delbert McClinton), before returning to Canada and The Band.

External links

* [http://www.BurritoDeluxe.com Official site of Burrito Deluxe]
* [http://www.porkbellys.com/Bio.html Bio at the official site of the Porkbelly Futures]
* [http://janetrussell.com/NSNewsStory.htm Interview with Bell]
*imdb name|id=1400990|name=Richard Bell