DISCOGRAPHY 1973-2018 (50CD/DVD)
BIOGRAPHY
CAREY BELL
Besides his own albums, he recorded as an accompanist or duo artist with Earl Hooker, Robert Nighthawk, Lowell Fulson, Eddie Taylor, Louisiana Red, Jimmy Dawkins as well as a frequent partner with his son, guitarist Lurrie Bell.
Blues Revue called Bell "one of Chicago’s finest harpists." The Chicago Tribune said Bell is "a terrific talent in the tradition of Sonny Boy Williamson and Little Walter.
Bell was born Carey Bell Harrington in Macon, Mississippi. As a child, Bell
was intrigued by the music of Louis Jordan. Bell wanted a saxophone in order
to be like his hero Jordan; however, Bell's family could not afford a
saxophone he had to settle for the harmonica, colloquially known as a
"Mississippi saxophone." Soon Bell was attracted by the blues harmonica
greats: DeFord Bailey, Big Walter Horton, Marion "Little Walter" Jacobs, and
Sonny Boy Williamson I and II. Bell taught himself to play. By the time he
was eight, he was quite proficient on the instrument. When he was thirteen,
Bell joined his pianist godfather Lovie Lee's blues band.
In September 1956, Lovie Lee convinced Bell to go with him to Chicago. Not
long after arriving, Bell went to the Club Zanzibar, where Little Walter was
appearing. Bell met Walter and later learned some harp playing from him and
his main Chicago teacher, Big Walter Horton. To help further his chances of
employment as a musician, Bell learned how to play the electric bass (from
Hound Dog Taylor).
Despite Bell's learning from some of the greatest blues harp players of the
genre, he arrived in Chicago at an unfortunate time. The demand for harp
players was decreasing there as electric guitar became the prominent blues
instrument. To pay the bills, Bell continued to play bass and joined several
bands as a bassist. In the late 1960s, he appeared regularly on the west
side of Chicago with guitarists Eddie Taylor and Royal Johnson, playing both
harmonica and bass. In 1969 Bell toured Europe and the UK with the American
Folk Blues Festival, and played at the Royal Albert Hall in London,
appearing on a live recording of the event.
In 1969, Delmark Records in Chicago released Bell's debut LP, Carey Bell's
Blues Harp. Bell played with Muddy Waters in late 1970 and 1971 and later
with Willie Dixon's Chicago Blues All-Stars. In 1972, Bell teamed up with
Big Walter in the studio and released Big Walter Horton with Carey Bell for
Alligator Records. A year later Bell released a solo project entitled Last
Night for ABC Bluesway. Bell continued to play with Dixon as well as with
his own groups, and in 1978, Bell was featured on the Grammy-nominated album
Living Chicago Blues on Alligator. Also, in the 1970s, Bell appeared on two
Bob Riedy Blues Band recordings.
During the 1980s Bell continued to record for various labels and to tour.
In 1990, Bell teamed up with fellow harpists Junior Wells, James Cotton and
Billy Branch to record Harp Attack!. A modern Blues classic, Harp Attack!
became one of Alligator Records's best selling albums.
Despite years in the business and work with Alligator, Bell's first
full-length solo album for the label was not until Deep Down, released in
1995. In 1997, Bell released the second album on the label Good Luck Man.
Second Nature (originally recorded in Finland a few years earlier) followed
in 2004; a duet album with his guitarist son, Lurrie Bell (who shared the
guitar duties with Carl Weathersby on Deep Down).
In 1998, Bell was awarded the Blues Music Award for Traditional Male Artist
Of The Year.
In 2007, Delmark Records released a live set by Bell, accompanied by a band
which included his son Lurrie, guitarist Scott Cable, Kenny Smith, Bob
Stroger and Joe Thomas.
Carey Bell died of heart failure on May 6, 2007, in Chicago,
Illinois.
LURRIE BELL
Bell started playing guitar at the age of six, and in his teens he polished his skills playing with the legends of Chicago blues scene including Eddy Clearwater, Big Walter Horton and Eddie Taylor.
In the mid 1970s, he went on to join Koko Taylor's Blues Machine and he toured with the band for four years. He made his recording debut in 1977 appearing on his father's album Heartaches and Pain and also on Eddie C. Campbell's King of the Jungle.
It was around that time that he formed The Sons of Blues with musicians
including Billy Branch on harmonica. Three tracks of the band's recordings
were featured in the Alligator Records compilation Living Chicago Blues
Vol.3 released in 1978.
In 1989 he released his first solo effort, Everybody Wants To Win, on JSP
Records.
Though Bell's career appeared to be headed in the right direction, drawing
attention of the blues fans around the world as a young prodigy of the
blues, he battled emotional problems and drug abuse for many years, which
kept him away from performing on regular basis.
He began a comeback in 1995 with the well-received album Mercurial Son, his
first of several from the Delmark label. A series of albums followed
thereafter, and he started to perform more frequently in the Chicago club
and blues festival circuits.
Bell is featured on Gettin' Up – Live at Buddy Guy's Legends, Rosa's and
Lurrie's Home, a 2007 CD and DVD release from Delmark, where he plays with
his father Carey. Soon after this release, Carey died and this became his
last recorded effort.
NEW!
LURRIE BELL
1983-The Blues Caravan Live At The Pit Inn (LP) @FLAC
2002.02.15-Rosa's Lounge Chicago, IL @FLAC
CAREY BELL
Last Night
CBL-1973-Last Night @FLAC
Heartache & Pain
CBL-1977-Heartache And Pain @ALAC
The Blues Show!
Live at Pit Inn
(with John Littlejohn)
CBL-JOLJ-1981-The Blues Show! Live At Pit Inn @FLAC
Harpslinger
CBL-1988-Harpslinger @FLAC
Mellow Down Easy
(with Tough Luck)
CBL-1991-Mellow Down Easy @FLAC
Brothers In Blues
(with Louisina Red)
CBL-LR-1993-Brothers In Blues @ALAC
Good Understanding
(with Eat Blues Experience)
CBL-1994-Good Understanding @ALAC
Carey Bell's Blues Harp
CBL-1995-Carey Bell_s Blues Harp @FLAC
Deep Down
CBL-1995-Deep Down @ALAC
Blues Classics
CBL-1996-Blues Classics (320)
Good Luck Man
CBL-1997-Good Luck Man @ALAC
Brought up the Hard Way
CBL-1998-Brought Up The Hard Way @FLAC
CBL-2007-Live @ALAC
COLLECTION
⬇️BLUES ENCORE⬇️
Carey Bell & Spike Ravenswood
BE-CB-Carey Bell & Spike Ravenswood @ALAC
COLLABORATION
⬇️LOUISIANIA RED⬇️
The World Don't Owe Me Nothing
DHEW-1997-The World Don't Owe Me Nothing @FLAC
HEINZ SAUER & BOB DEGEN
Blues After Sunrise
⬇️LOUISIANIA RED⬇️
My Life With Carey Bell
(LP)
LR-1984-My Life With Carey Bell (LP) @FLAC24-192
Live At 55
(Stormy Monday Band & C.Bell)
LR-1991-Live At 55 @FLAC
⬇️VARIOUS ARTISTS⬇️
Superharps II
VA-2001-Superharps II @ALAC
LURRIE BELL
The Blues Caravan
Live At Pit Inn
Live At Pit Inn
(LP/CD)
1983-The Blues Caravan Live At The Pit Inn (LP) @FLAC
2012-The Blues Caravan (CD) @FLAC
Everybody Wants To Win
LBL-1989-Everybody Wants To Win @FLAC
Mercurial Son
LBL-1995-Mercurial Son @FLAC
Recorded at Riverside Studios, Chicago, Illinois
on December 12, 1994 and March 24, 1995.
PERSONNEL
Lurrie Bell (vocals, guitar, bass, harmonica);
Big Time Sarah (vocals);
Scott Dirks (spoken vocals);
Willie Black, Sho Komiya (bass);
Steve Cushing (drums)
Lee Jackson, Magic Slim, Smokey Smothers and Willie Black (bass)
special guest on one track - Big Time Sarah
700 Blues
Lurrie Bell: vocal, guitar
Roosevelt Purifoy: piano
Stroger: bass
Joe Thomas: bass
Brian "BJ" Jones: drums
Kenny Smith: drums
Scott Cable: guitar
LBL-1997-700 Blues @FLAC
The Blues Had A Baby
LBL-1999-The Blues Had A Baby @FLAC
Rosa's Lounge Chicago, IL
Cuttin' Heads
LBL-2004-Cuttin' Heads @ALAC
Let's Talk About Love
LBL-2007-Let's Talk About Love @FLAC
The Devil Ain't Got No Music
LBL-2012-The Devil Ain't Got No Music @FLAC
Blues In My Soul
NASP-LBL-2020-Jammin With Lurrie Bell @FLAC
LBL-2013-Blues In My Soul @FLAC
Can't Shake This Feeling
LBL-2016-Can't Shake This Feeling @FLAC
Tribute To Carey Bell
LBL-2018-Tribute To Carey Bell @FLAC
COLLABORATION
FRANK CATALANO
(Thanks to Albert)
NASTA SUPER
Jammin' with Lurrie Bell
(Romaphonic Session II)
CAREY & LURRIE BELL
Straight Shoot
CLBL-1986-Straight Shoot @FLAC
Dynasty!
CLBL-1990-Dynasty! @ALAC
Second Nature
CLBL-1991-Second Nature @FLAC
Harpmaster
CLBL-1993-Harpmaster @ALAC
Goin' On Main Street
CLBL-1994-Goin' On Main Street (9T) @FLAC
CLBL-1994-Goin' On Main Street (+Bonus) @FLAC *
* Thanks to Bluestender
Son of a Gun
CLBL-1997-Son of a Gun @FLAC
Gettin' Up
(CD/DVD)
CLBL-2007-Gettin' Up @ALAC
(DVD)
CLBL-2007-Gettin' Up (DVD) @MKV
Personnel:
Carey Bell: vocal, harmonicaLurrie Bell: vocal, guitar
Roosevelt Purifoy: piano
Stroger: bass
Joe Thomas: bass
Brian "BJ" Jones: drums
Kenny Smith: drums
Scott Cable: guitar
TBC-Vol.72-Carey & Lurrie Bell (Father And Son) @FLAC
10 comments:
Bonjour, je n'arrive pas à téléccharger "Last Night", le lien ne fonctionne pas. Autrement Merci pour votre travail, j'apprécie vraiment. Patrick
Ok, ça fonctionne...et Merci encore pour Carey Bell, et le fils aussi Lurrie !
J'adore le Blues de Chicago. Vraiment un Super Blog. Thx. Patrick
great work ... Thank you .. !!!
The group name for "Good Understanding" is East Blues Experience (see Discogs.com) Thanks for the great blog!
Hello and congrats for the terrific job maintaining the blog.
The download of the album "Father And Son" is missing track 9.
Cheers.
Thanks a bunch for correcting "Father And Son".
Terrific job.
Cheers!!
There is a problem with Nasta Super, the link goes to Blues After Sunrise....
Merci beaucoup pour tous ces albums de Lurrie Bell !
Mil gracias, apreciado amigo. Saludos.
Hi Juan
Thanks for your comment!
Nice to see you here !
Have a good day ...
Chris-France
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