Support our efforts, sign up to a full membership!
(Start for free)
Register or login with just your e-mail address
Country 19/06/2007

Richard Bell - Keyboard Player For Janis Joplin and The Band Dies At 61

Hot Songs Around The World

Water
Tyla
306 entries in 20 charts
Stick Season
Noah Kahan
313 entries in 19 charts
Houdini
Dua Lipa
285 entries in 26 charts
Strangers
Kenya Grace
442 entries in 24 charts
Lovin On Me
Jack Harlow
293 entries in 22 charts
Popular
Weeknd, Playboi Carti & Madonna
266 entries in 18 charts
Lose Control
Teddy Swims
316 entries in 25 charts
Beautiful Things
Benson Boone
159 entries in 24 charts
Si No Estas
Inigo Quintero
283 entries in 17 charts
Greedy
Tate McRae
621 entries in 28 charts
Unwritten
Natasha Bedingfield
291 entries in 22 charts
Anti-Hero
Taylor Swift
615 entries in 23 charts
Cruel Summer
Taylor Swift
572 entries in 20 charts
Snooze
SZA
223 entries in 13 charts
NASHVILLE, TN. (Top40 Charts/ Janis Joplin Fans Website) - - Renowned keyboardist and songwriter Richard Bell died on June 15 after a long battle with multiple myeloma cancer, at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, Canada. He was 61. An extraordinary musician, his resume stretched over 40 years, and included stints with some of rock 'n' roll's most legendary performers, including Janis Joplin and The Band.

Bell began his professional career in the '60s as a member of the Toronto band the Last Words. He joined rockabilly artist, Ronnie Hawkins and the Hawks as a keyboardist in the mid-'60s. At a performance with Hawkins at the Fillmore East in New York City in 1969, he was approached by Albert Grossman, Janis Joplin's manager, and was recruited for her Full Tilt Boogie Band. He played on her final studio album, Pearl , released posthumously in 1971. Bell joined The Band in 1991 and played piano on their albums, High on the Hog, Jubilation, and Jericho, for which he penned 'Caves of Jericho.' He was an accomplished musician on piano, organ and accordion, and during his career, he played on over 400 albums and performed with Bob Dylan, Judy Collins, Joe Walsh, Paul Butterfield, The Cowboy Junkies, Bruce Cockburn, and Bonnie Raitt. In addition, he produced a number of albums and worked on several film soundtracks.

At the time of his death, Bell was a member of the country-rock group, Burrito Deluxe, performing and contributing songs to their recent CD, Disciples Of The Truth, which was released earlier this year on Luna Chica Records. Reached for comment, band leader Carlton Moody stated, 'During the brief time I knew Richard, I found him to be a very spiritual person who lived everyday to the fullest. Musically, he always inspired those around him to achieve a higher level. Once he entered your life, you were better because of it.' Bell also had been continuing his work on stage and in the studio with long-time collaborators, Colin Linden, Blackie & the Rodeo Kings and Pork Belly Futures.

Born March 5, 1946, in Toronto , Canada , Bell was the son of esteemed Canadian conductor, musician and educator, Dr. Leslie Bell. A child prodigy, Bell began playing the piano at the age of four, and studied at the Royal Conservatory of Music. He was classically trained; however, he was bitten by the rock 'n' roll bug when he was influenced by blues pianist Otis Spann and Ray Charles. He began his professional career at about age 12 when he joined a band with some boys from school who were several years older. In a recent interview, Bell recalled, 'I was playing fraternity parties that would get raided by the police, and my mom would freak out,' he recalls. 'But I kept going right through my teenage years.'

Throughout his career, Bell participated in many epochal recordings and events of the rock 'n' roll era. He played on 'Welcome Back' by John Sebastian – theme song for the popular television series Welcome Back Kotter. He played with The Band at Bob Dylan's 20th Anniversary Concert at Madi�son Square Garden, and he participated in Festival Express, a legendary train tour festival across Canada in 1970, which featured Joplin, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Delaney & Bonnie & Friends, The Grateful Dead, The Band, and others. Bell also provided on-camera commentary for the DVD documentary about the tour, released in 2004, which the San Francisco Chronicle called 'A backstage pass to the wildest and woolliest ride in the history of music.'

Bell is survived by his mother, Leona Helwig, sister, Janet Macey, niece, Roz Macey (Lori Degraw), nephews, Richard Macey, Douglas Macey (Leah Homma) and Gordon Macey.






Most read news of the week


© 2001-2024
top40-charts.com (S4)
about | site map
contact | privacy
Page gen. in 0.5728440 secs // 4 () queries in 0.0069131851196289 secs