DISCOGRAPHY 1973-2018 (51CD/DVD)
BIOGRAPHY
CAREY BELL
Carey Bell (November 14, 1936 – May 6, 2007) was an American blues
musician, who played the harmonica in the Chicago blues style. Bell played
harmonica (harp) and bass for other blues musicians during the late 1950s,
1960s and early 1970s before embarking on a solo career.
Besides his own albums, he recorded as an accompanist or duo artist
with Earl Hooker, Robert Nighthawk, Lowell Fulson, Eddie Taylor,
Louisiana Red, Jimmy Dawkins as well as a frequent partner with his
son, guitarist Lurrie Bell.
Blues Revue called Bell "one of Chicago’s finest harpists." The
Chicago Tribune said Bell is "a terrific talent in the tradition of
Sonny Boy Williamson and Little Walter.
Bell was born Carey Bell Harrington in Macon, Mississippi. As a child, Bell
was intrigued by the music of Louis Jordan. Bell wanted a saxophone in order
to be like his hero Jordan; however, Bell's family could not afford a
saxophone he had to settle for the harmonica, colloquially known as a
"Mississippi saxophone." Soon Bell was attracted by the blues harmonica
greats: DeFord Bailey, Big Walter Horton, Marion "Little Walter" Jacobs, and
Sonny Boy Williamson I and II. Bell taught himself to play. By the time he
was eight, he was quite proficient on the instrument. When he was thirteen,
Bell joined his pianist godfather Lovie Lee's blues band.
In September 1956, Lovie Lee convinced Bell to go with him to Chicago. Not
long after arriving, Bell went to the Club Zanzibar, where Little Walter was
appearing. Bell met Walter and later learned some harp playing from him and
his main Chicago teacher, Big Walter Horton. To help further his chances of
employment as a musician, Bell learned how to play the electric bass (from
Hound Dog Taylor).
Despite Bell's learning from 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 electric guitar became the prominent blues
instrument. To pay the bills, Bell continued to play bass and joined several
bands as a bassist. In the late 1960s, he appeared regularly on the west
side of Chicago with guitarists Eddie Taylor and Royal Johnson, playing both
harmonica and bass. In 1969 Bell toured Europe and the UK with the American
Folk Blues Festival, and played at the Royal Albert Hall in London,
appearing on a live recording of the event.
In 1969, Delmark Records in Chicago released Bell's debut LP, Carey Bell's
Blues Harp. Bell played with Muddy Waters in late 1970 and 1971 and later
with Willie Dixon's Chicago Blues All-Stars. In 1972, Bell teamed up with
Big Walter in the studio and released Big Walter Horton with Carey Bell for
Alligator Records. A year later Bell released a solo project entitled Last
Night for ABC Bluesway. Bell continued to play with Dixon as well as with
his own groups, and in 1978, Bell was featured on the Grammy-nominated album
Living Chicago Blues on Alligator. Also, in the 1970s, Bell appeared on two
Bob Riedy Blues Band recordings.
During the 1980s Bell continued to record for various labels and to tour.
In 1990, Bell teamed up with fellow harpists Junior Wells, James Cotton and
Billy Branch to record Harp Attack!. A modern Blues classic, Harp Attack!
became one of Alligator Records's best selling albums.
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. In 1997, Bell released the second album on the label Good Luck Man.
Second Nature (originally recorded in Finland a few years earlier) followed
in 2004; a duet album with his guitarist son, Lurrie Bell (who shared the
guitar duties with Carl Weathersby on Deep Down).
In 1998, Bell was awarded the Blues Music Award for Traditional Male Artist
Of The Year.
In 2007, Delmark Records released a live set by Bell, accompanied by a band
which included his son Lurrie, guitarist Scott Cable, Kenny Smith, Bob
Stroger and Joe Thomas.
Carey Bell died of heart failure on May 6, 2007, in Chicago,
Illinois.
LURRIE BELL
Lurrie Bell (born Lurrie C. Bell, December 13, 1958, Chicago, Illinois,
United States) is an American blues guitarist and singer. His father was
renowned blues harmonica player, Carey Bell.
Bell started playing guitar at the age of six, and in his teens he
polished his skills playing with the legends of Chicago blues scene
including Eddy Clearwater, Big Walter Horton and Eddie Taylor.
In the mid 1970s, he went on to join Koko Taylor's Blues Machine and he
toured with the band for four years. He made his recording debut in 1977
appearing on his father's album Heartaches and Pain and also on Eddie C.
Campbell's King of the Jungle.
It was around that time that he formed The Sons of Blues with musicians
including Billy Branch on harmonica. Three tracks of the band's recordings
were featured in the Alligator Records compilation Living Chicago Blues
Vol.3 released in 1978.
In 1989 he released his first solo effort, Everybody Wants To Win, on JSP
Records.
Though Bell's career appeared to be headed in the right direction, drawing
attention of the blues fans around the world as a young prodigy of the
blues, he battled emotional problems and drug abuse for many years, which
kept him away from performing on regular basis.
He began a comeback in 1995 with the well-received album Mercurial Son, his
first of several from the Delmark label. A series of albums followed
thereafter, and he started to perform more frequently in the Chicago club
and blues festival circuits.
Bell is featured on Gettin' Up – Live at Buddy Guy's Legends, Rosa's and
Lurrie's Home, a 2007 CD and DVD release from Delmark, where he plays with
his father Carey. Soon after this release, Carey died and this became his
last recorded effort.
NEW!
CAREY & LURRIE BELL
2004-Harpslinger (SACD) @FLAC24-176
