William Bell

“My thing as a singer is truth,” says Bell. “And if I can hear truth in a song, then I keep it.” Since his earliest days as an artist, this legendary Stax Records soul man has been delivering the truth with one of the most remarkable voices in popular music. While other R & B titans have made their legacies with vocal gymnastics, screams and shouts, Bell has carved out his niche with a more subtle approach. His style is all about phrasing and inflection, simmering tension and restraint. It's flowing and graceful, a kind of Tai Chi Soul. And whether he's singing a ballad or an uptempo tune, Bell always has a direct line to the poetry of the heart. Now, decades after his last major release, William Bell returns to the relaunched Stax label with his definitive statement as an artist, This Is Where I Live. A 12-song collaboration with Grammy-winning producer John Leventhal, it's a beautiful summary of Bell's journey as a singer and songwriter. The album contains echoes of the past but, more importantly, it embodies a contemporary flair that points the way forward to a new chapter in an already storied career. “This is the first major label album I've done in a long time,” Bell says, “and to have it be part of Stax is just great. I feel like I've come full circle, and that gives me new energy, like I'm starting all over again.” In 1961, Bell was one of the first artists to sign with Stax Records, where his self-penned solo debut “You Don't Miss Your Water” was one of the young label's early hits. After serving two years in the Army, Bell established himself as an MVP at Stax, co-writing hits with Booker T. Jones, both for himself (including stone soul classics like “Everyday Will Be A Holiday,” “I Forgot To Be Your Lover” and “Private Number”) and others (“Born Under A Bad Sign” for Albert King became one of the most-covered blues songs ever written). His songs were recorded by everyone from fellow soul artists Otis Redding and King Curtis to rock bands like Cream and The Byrds. He didn’t release his own debut album until 1967, but The Soul Of A Bell has been widely acknowledged as a seminal work. Bell sailed from strength to strength into the early '70s, when soul music faded and Stax folded.

Photo Credit: Photo courtesy of artist