Video for William Bell's brand new single "Let's Make Loving Great Again" from the forthcoming album "One Day Closer To Home" !
Born in Memphis, TN, William Bell is one the chief architects of the Stax-Volt sound along with other luminaries such as Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, Isaac Hayes, Booker T. & the MG’s, Albert King, Eddie Floyd, Carla and Rufus Thomas, The Staple Singers and Bar-Kays.
William recorded his first sides as a member of the Del Rios. In 1961, he made his solo recording debut with the classic single “You Dont Miss Your Water”, which became one of Stax Records first major hits.
After a two-year stint in the Armed Forces, William released his first full-length album in 1967. “The Soul of a Bell” included the Top 20 hit single “Everybody Loves a Winner.” That same year, blues great Albert King recorded what came to be his signature tune “Born Under a Bad Sign”, also written by Bell along with Booker T. Jones, which has since become one of the most-recorded songs in pop music history.
Other classic William Bell hits at Stax were “Any Other Way”, “Never Like This Before”, “A Tribute to a King” (William’s personal tribute to Stax legend Otis Redding), “I Forgot to be Your Lover”, his internationally acclaimed duet with Judy Clay, “Private Number” and the perennial holiday favorite, “Every Day Will Be Like a Holiday”.
In 1970 William moved to Atlanta, GA and eventually struck pay dirt in 1977 with “Tryin’ to Love Two” for Mercury Records, which topped the R&B charts and spent more than six months there.
In 1985, William launched Wilbe Records and crafted the album “Passion” which produced three chart singles in the U.S. and was a major hit in the U.K.
After 1992, he took a break from recording, but continued to perform around the world. Some of his performing highlights during that period include the renowned Montreux Jazz Festival in 1995 and three memorable nights during the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.
In 1997 William reaped accolades from the Rhythm & Blues Foundation, winning their R&B Pioneer Award; and The State of Georgia, which inducted him into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame by then-governor Zell Miller.
In 2000, he returned to the recording studio and released “A Portrait Is Forever”, an album of all original songs on his Wilbe label.
Other awards received thru the years include the prestigious W.C. Handy Heritage Award in 2003 and the BMI Songwriter’s Award for “I Forgot To Be Your Lover”, elements of which laid the foundation for recording artist Jaheim’s smash hit “Put That Woman First”.
In 2004, Bell received the Joe Pope Pioneer Award, presented at the Carolina Beach Music Awards. In addition, Wilbe Records was voted Record Label of the Year in 2004 at the Southern Konnection Radio and DJ Conference and multiple awards in the same category at the Jus’ Blues Music Awards. Internationally he was honored to receive the L'académie Du Jazz Paris award as a vocalist.
William Bell has continued to enjoy a distinguished career as a singer, songwriter and producer and his songs have been recorded and sampled by a diverse array of artists.
Some of William’s recent live performance highlights include the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington DC which drew almost a million people in three days, with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra where he was joined by Stax Alumnus Booker T. Jones, Lincoln Center in New York City, Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in London, Porretta Soul Festival in Italy, Billboard Live in Tokyo, and at The White House for the PBS broadcast of ‘In Performance At The White House: Memphis Soul” during President Barack Obama's Administration.
In 2014 William Bell appeared in the critically acclaimed and award winning movie
“Take Me To The River”, a Martin Shore Production. In connection with the film he traveled the world attending film festivals and performing concerts.
On New Years Eve 2015, William sang three of his songs on Jools Holland’s Annual Hootenanny for the BBC in London, including a duet with Joss Stone. He also filmed a segment for the Cinemax TV series “Quarry” which premiered in 2016.
William Bell returned to Stax Records for the recording and release of the appropriately titled “This Is Where I Live” album, his first major release for some time which earned him a 2017 Grammy Award for Best Americana Album.
William has been heavily involved with the Memphis, TN based Stax Museum in which he played an integral role in establishing and the Stax Music Academy as well as the “Take Me to The River” education initiative in partnership with the Berklee School of Music.
He is also a member of the Memphis Music Hall of Fame.
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