William Bell (born July 16, 1939) is an American soul singer and songwriter, and one of the architects of the Stax-Volt sound. As a performer, he is probably best known for 1961's "You Don't Miss Your Water" (his debut single); 1968's "Private Number" (a duet with Judy Clay, and a top 10 hit in the UK); and 1976's "Tryin' To Love Two", Bell's only US top 40 hit, which also hit #1 on the R&B charts. Upon the death of Otis Redding, Bell released the well-received memorial song "A Tribute To A King".
As a songwriter, Bell co-authored the Chuck Jackson hit "Any Other Way" (itself a cover, since Bell issued it first, as a follow-up to "You Don't Miss Your Water"), Billy Idol's 1986 hit "Got To Be Your Lover", and the blues classic "Born Under A Bad Sign", popularized by both Albert King and Cream.
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.
After releasing a few scattered singles in the late 1950s as a member of the vocal group The Del-Rios, Bell began recording for the Stax label in 1961. He scored a minor hit (#95 pop) with his first Stax single, the country-flavored "You Don't Miss Your Water". Further singles followed, both as a solo artist and (for one single) as a member of The Del-Rios. National chart success for these singles was non-existent, but Bell was successful enough as a regional artist that Stax stuck with him for seven straight non-charting singles. In 1966, Bell finally broke through with his first substantial R&B hit, "Share What You Got (But Keep What You Need)"
In 1967, Bell co-wrote the song "Born Under a Bad Sign" with Booker T. Jones which became a signature song for blues musician Albert King. It was later popularized by the power trio Cream. A year later, in 1968, Bell's collaboration with Judy Clay yielded the memorable hit, "Private Number."
Further U.S. hits followed with "I Forgot to Be Your Lover" (1968),In early 1969 Bell caught the eye of New York Soul DJ Herb Hamlett and was the opening act at Hamlett's 50 Acre Club in upstate NY. They became instant friends and when Hamlett moved to Atlanta in 1979 the pair renewed their friendship with Bell giving Hamlett a autographed copy of the album. which was remade into a U.S. Top 10 pop hit by Billy Idol in 1986 as "To Be a Lover." It had previously been covered by the Jamaican singer George Faith and was the (amended) title tune for his 1977 album To Be a Lover, and has since been sampled by Ludacris on his song "Growing Pains" from Word of Mouf and Jaheim on "Put That Woman First" from Still Ghetto.
Bell continued to record for Stax through the label's dissolution in 1975, with modest commercial success. He then switched to Mercury, and in 1977 topped Billboard 's Hot Soul Singles chart with his polyamorous soul song "Tryin' to Love Two".
In 1985 Bell founded the label Wilbe and issued Passion, which found its most receptive audiences in the UK (although "I Don't Want to Wake Up Feeling Guilty," a duet with Janice Bullock, was a minor U.S. hit). In 1986, The single "Headline News" entered the UK Singles Chart.
Bell's recording career extended to 2006, when his most recent LP, New Lease of Life, was released on his own Wilbe Records label. The 2010 Sci-fi Thriller,Repo Men, Featured Bell's 1967 "Every Day Will Be A Holiday" in an important scene where a famous singer was mixing this song, as well as in the soundtrack.
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