JANICE'S BLUES ALLEY PRESENTS
William Bell
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A principal architect of the Stax/Volt sound, singer/composer William Bell remains best known for his classic "You Don't Miss Your Water," one of the quintessential soul records to emerge from the Memphis scene. Born William Yarborough on July 16, 1939, he cut his teeth backing Rufus Thomas, and in 1957 recorded his first sides as a member of the Del Rios. After joining the Stax staff as a writer, in 1961 Bell made his solo debut with the self-penned "You Don't Miss Your Water," an archetypal slice of country-soul and one of the label's first big hits. A two-year Armed Forces stint effectively derailed his career, however, and he did not release his first full-length album, The Soul of a Bell, until 1967, generating a Top 20 hit with the single "Everybody Loves a Winner"; that same year, Albert King also scored with another classic Bell composition, the oft-covered "Born Under a Bad Sign."
Bell's next solo hit, 1968's "A Tribute to a King," was a poignant farewell to the late Otis Redding; the R & B Top Ten hit "I Forgot to Be Your Lover" soon followed, and a series of duets with Judy Clay, most notably "Private Number," also earned airplay. In 1969, he relocated to Atlanta and set up his own label, Peachtree; the hits dried up as the next decade opened, but in 1977 Bell capped a major comeback with "Trying to Love Two," which topped the R & B charts. In 1985, he founded another label, Wilbe, and issued Passion, which found its most receptive audiences in the U.K. (although "I Don't Want to Wake Up Feeling Guilty," a duet with Janice Bullock, was a minor U.S. hit). In addition to subsequent LPs, including 1989's On a Roll and 1992's Bedtime Stories, in 1987 Bell was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, that same year receiving the Rhythm & Blues Foundation's R & B Pioneer Award. After 1992, Bell took a lengthy hiatus from the recording studio, though he still performed regularly. In 2000, he released an album of all-new material on Wilbe entitled A Portrait Is Forever and followed i t six years later with New Lease on Life. In between he was honored with the 2003 W.C. Handy Heritage Award.
-- by Jason Ankeny of All Music Guide.
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01. Everybody Loves A Winner 02. You Don’t Miss Your Water 03. Do Right Woman-Do Right Man 04. I’ve Been Loving You Too Long 05. Nothing Takes The Place Of You |
06. Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye 07. Eloise (hang on in there) 08. Any Other Way 09. It’s Happening All Over 10. Never Like This Before 11. You’re Such A Sweet Thang |
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01. Let Me Ride 02. Lonely Soldier 03. Get It While It’s Hot 04. Love-Eye-Tis 05. Left Over Love 06. Private Number 07. My Baby Specializes |
08. Love’s Sweet Sensation 09. Strung Out 10. Leave The Girl Alone 11. I Can’t Stop 12. I Need You Woman 13. All I Have To Do Is Dream |
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01. I Forgot To Be our Lover 02. Hey Western Union Man 03. My Whole World Is Falling Down 04. Everyday People 05. Johnny, I Love You 06. All God’s Children Got Soul |
07. Happy 08. By The Time I get To Phoenix 09. Bring The Curtain Down 10. A Smile Can’t Hide (a broken heart) 11. Born Under A Bad Sign |
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01. I Got A Sure Thing 02. I Can’t Make It All By Myself 03. Till My Back Ain’t Got No Bone 04. All For The Love Of A Woman 05. My Door Is Always Open 06. A Penny For Your Thoughts |
07. You’ll Want Diamonds 08. Winding, Winding Road 09. Somebody’s Gonna Get Hurt 10. I Forgot To Be Your Lover 11. I’ll Be Home |
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01. Save Us 02. True Love Don’t Come Easy 03. Fifty Dollar Habit 04. What I Don’t Know Won’t Hurt Me |
05. Phases Of Reality 06. If You Really Love Him 07. Lonely For Your Love 08. The Man In The Street |
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01. Loving On Borrowed Time 02. All I Need Is Your Love 03. Such A Fever 04. Nobody Walks Away From Love Unhurt 05. Getting What You Want (losing what you got) |
06. I’ve Got To Go On Without You 07. Drinkin’ And Thinkin’ 08. You’ve Got The Kind Of Love I Need 09. You Don’t Want a Man 10. Nobody But You |
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01. Tryin’ To Love Two 02. If Sex Was All We Had 03. Relax 04. You Don’t Miss Your Water 05. Malnutrition |
06. Coming Back For More 07. Just Another Way To Feel 08. I Absotively, Posolutely Love You 09. I Wake Up Cryin’ 10. You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me |
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01. Easy Coming Out 02. I Don’t Want Nobody To Love Me (but you) 03. Yesterday I Lied, Today I Cried 04. Morning Glory 05. Shed A Little Light On The Subject |
06. Satin Sheets 07. Hollywood Streetwalker 08. Your Love Keeps Me Going 09. Let It Shine |
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01. Getting Out Of Your Bed 02. If You Don’t Use It 03. I Need Your Love So Bad 04. When You’ve Got The Best 05. On A Roll |
06. I’m Ready 07. I Can Do It 08. Short Circuit 09. Holding On To Love |
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01. Bedtime Story 02. Shake Hands (come out lovin’) 03. I’d Rather Be Blind 04. Baby Don’t Rush 05. Private Number 06. How Long Is My Love |
07. Movers And Shakers 08. Paper Thin 09. Keep Your Body Warm 10. I’ll Be Around 11. Crazy ‘Bout Your Love 12. Ain’t Nothing I Won’t Do |
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01. Tryin’ To Love Two 02. Bring The Curtain Down 03. Everybody Loves A Winner 04. Lovin’ On Borrowed Time 05. I Forgot to Be Your Lover |
06. Everyday Will Be Like A Holiday 07. I’ve Got To Go On Without You 08. Any Other Way 09. I Don’t Want To Wake Up (feeling guilty) 10. Born Under A Bad Sign |
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01. Operator 02. Listen With My Mind 03. That’s My Job 04. Come In Out Of The Rain 05. Take Advantage Of A Good Thang 06. After The Paint Comes Off |
07. Lifestyles Of The Poor And Unknown 08. I Can’t Leave Your Love Alone 09. If You Can’t Handle The Finance 10. Like A Man 11. You Should’ve Covered Your Tracks 12. Just A Man (working hard) |
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01. New Lease On Life 02. Playaz Only Love You When They’re Playing 03. Part Time Lover (full time friend) 04. My Body Don’t Know 05. Honey From The Bee 06. You Got A Hold On Me |
07. Keep A Light In The Window 08. Got An Island Feelin’ 09. Treat Her Right (like a lady) 10. Up Close And Personal 11. Save Us 12. Every Sunday Morning |
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01. You Don’t Miss Your Water 02. Any Other Way 03. Share What You Got 04. Never Like This Before 05. Everybody Loves A Winner 06. Eloise (hang on in there) 07. Everyday Will Be Like A Holiday 08. A Tribute To A King 09. Every Man Oughta Have A Woman 10. Private Number |
11. I Forgot To Be Your Lover 12. My Baby Specializes 13. My Whole World Is Falling Down 14. Happy 15. Born Under A Bad Sign 16. All For The Love Of A Woman 17. Save Us 18. Lovin’ On Borrowed Time 19. I’ve Got To Go On Without You 20. Getting What You Want (losing what you got) |
