Launched by Stax Data in December 1967, The Soul Of A Bell was the debut LP from famous Memphis singer-songwriter William Bell, who started his recording profession 12 years earlier as a member of a vocal concord group referred to as The Del Rios, who lower a one-off single for the Meteor label after successful an area expertise contest.
Initially born William Yarborough, Bell remained with The Del Rios till 1962, after they have been provided a deal by Stax Data, then a rising Memphis-based R&B label run by siblings Jim Stewart and Estelle Axton. Impressed by Bell’s expertise, they provided him a solo deal and, later the identical yr, the singer wrote and recorded what grew to become his debut single for Stax, “You Don’t Miss Your Water.” Although it wasn’t capable of dent the US R&B charts, this plaintive, piano-led, ballad (which Bell wrote when he was feeling homesick whereas working in New York) offered 200,000 copies and made No. 95 within the US pop charts.
Bell’s subsequent singles through the subsequent 12 months didn’t do as properly. To make issues worse, in 1963, Bell was drafted into the US military for a compulsory two-year stint. Within the meantime, although, he was starting to achieve a fame as a songwriter of observe and had his songs recorded by Carla Thomas, the UK’s Georgie Fame, and Otis Redding. The latter, then Stax’s rising male star, recorded “You Don’t Miss Your Water” on his traditional 1965 LP Otis Blue.
A yr after his exit from the US navy, Bell needed to make up for misplaced time and did so by debuting within the US R&B High 30 throughout 1966 with “Share What You Got,” adopted by “Never Like This Before” a couple of months later. That success prompted Stax to launch Bell’s debut album, The Soul Of A Bell, which mixed earlier single releases with cowl variations of then-current soul hits (as was customary follow for R&B albums on the time).
The primary aspect of the LP targeted on slower materials. “Everybody Loves A Winner” – co-written by Bell along with his co-producer, Booker T Jones (of Booker T & The MGs fame) – is a poignant story of heartbreak and loneliness. “Everybody loves a winner,” croons a melancholic Bell, “but when you lose, you lose alone.” Its message resonated with the US public, who purchased enough copies to push the only into the R&B High 20 in April 1967. “You Don’t Miss Your Water,” recorded 5 years earlier, was additionally included on The Soul Of A Bell, alongside Bell’s takes on Aretha Franklin’s “Do Right Woman – Do Right Man,” Otis Redding’s “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long (To Stop Now),” Toussaint McCall’s “Nothing Takes The Place Of You” and John D Loudermilk’s “You Can Tell Me Goodbye.”
However it was the standard of Bell’s authentic materials that underscored the singularity of his expertise. “Eloise (Hang On In There)” is a brassy dancefloor stomper with an earworm of a refrain, whereas “Any Other Way” (launched in 1962 because the follow-up single to “Don’t Miss Your Water”) is a passionate declaration of affection on which Bell’s raspy supply is punctuated by staccato guitar chords and energetic horn interjections. “Never Like This Before,” pushed by Steve Cropper’s guitar, and “You’re Just A Sweet Thing” are each shiny and energetic, illustrating that Bell, like labelmate Otis Redding, was snug with each uptempo materials and romantic ballads.
The Soul Of A Bell didn’t make the US R&B albums chart, and within the UK it was issued as A Tribute To A King, taking its title from Bell’s 1968 High 20 eulogy to Otis Redding, who had died in December 1967. 1968 additionally witnessed Bell notch up his first US R&B High 10 hit (“I Forgot To Be Your Lover”) in addition to be a part of forces with Judy Clay for the immortal duet “Private Number.” Bell left Stax in 1974 when the corporate went bankrupt, however continued to ply his commerce at a wide range of labels, together with his personal imprint, Wilbe.
Although many years have elapsed since The Soul Of A Bell was first launched, it stays William Bell’s definitive musical assertion.
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