- Richard Bell (Canadian musician)
Richard Bell (b.
March 5 1946 ,Toronto - d.June 15 2007 ,Toronto ) was a Canadianmusician . Known for his session and live performance work, he is perhaps best remembered as thepianist forJanis Joplin and her "Full Tilt Boogie Band " and was a keyboardist withThe 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" (asKing 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 managerAlbert 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 theFestival 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 werePaul Butterfield andJohn 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 andJoe 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 pianistRichard 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 ofRick 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 andKathleen 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 ofcancer , on June 15, 2007 inToronto '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
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