William Bell - Bound To Happen (1969)

William Bell is an American soul singer and songwriter. 

William Bell had been with Stax Records pretty much since the beginning, but for whatever reason he didn't actually start having hits until the late 60s. He was teamed up with other singers on the label for a number of singles, including Carla Thomas, Mavis Staples and Judy Clay. The most successful was with the otherwise little-known Judy Clay - "Private Number" charted at #17 R&B in 1968, and also managed to get into the Top 10 in the UK.

The same year he had a high-charting solo single - "I Forgot To Be Your Lover", co-written with Booker T Jones, got to #10 R&B. The next year a full album was released on the back of its success, produced and arranged by Jones and with backing from The MGs. It was actually only his second ever solo album, despite having recorded for Stax all the way through the 60s. It was a great record full of great songs and great arrangements. Being recorded at the end of the decade, it had a different, more smooth sound in comparison to recordings from the earlier, more recogniseable 'classic' Stax era. It featured "I Forgot To Be Your Lover" and a couple of other lesser singles, plus his own versions of songs that he had written for other artists - "Born Under A Bad Sign" (originally done by Albert King) and "I Got A Sure Thing" (originally by Ollie & The Nightingales). It also featured some surprise covers of Sly & The Family Stone's "Everyday People", Jerry Butler's "Hey, Western Union Man" and Jimmy Webb's "By The Time I Get To Phoenix".

The Soul Of A Bell (1967) <|> Wow... (1971)
More from William Bell

Download

William Bell - The Soul Of A Bell (1967)

William Bell is an American soul singer and songwriter.

Born in Memphis in 1939, singer William Bell began his music career as a member of the Del-Rios in the late 50s. In 1961 he joined the fledgling Stax record company as a staff writer, but actually ended up giving them one of their first regional hits with his own rendition of his self-penned "You Don't Miss Your Water", a song which endures to this day as a country-soul classic, and has been covered by numerous artists. However his subsequent singles did not chart, and his music career was interrupted by a brief spell in the armed forces. When he returned in 1966, he managed to get his first R&B hit with "Share What You Got", which reached #27. It was followed by two more R&B hits - "Never Like This Before" (#29), and the brilliant "Everybody Loves A Winner" (#18). 

In 1967 his debut album was finally released - The Soul Of A Bell featured most of his hits (but strangely omitted "Share What You Got") with some other great songs, including versions of "I've Been Loving You Too Long" and "Do Right Woman". It's a fine example of southern soul, with the focus mostly on the ballads.

He was never one of Stax's biggest hit-makers or most distinctive singers, but they kept him on board throughout the 60s. He wrote many classic songs for them throughout this period, often in partnership with Booker T. Jones, such as on Albert King's "Born Under A Bad Sign".

|> Bound To Happen (1969)
More from William Bell

Download