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Thom Bell | |
|---|---|
 Bell at theBeacon Theatre in Manhattan, New York for the Grammy Salute to Music Legends, 2017 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Thomas Randolph Bell |
| Born | (1943-01-26)January 26, 1943 Kingston,Colony of Jamaica |
| Origin | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | December 22, 2022(2022-12-22) (aged 79) Bellingham, Washington, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1959–2022 |
| Formerly of | |
Thomas Randolph Bell[1] (January 26, 1943 – December 22, 2022) was an American record producer, arranger, and songwriter known as one of the creators ofPhiladelphia soul in the 1970s.[2] Hailed as one of the most prolific R&B songwriters and producers ever, Bell found success crafting songs forDelfonics,Stylistics, andSpinners. InJune 2006, Bell was inducted into theSongwriters Hall of Fame. In 2016, Bell was inducted into theMusicians Hall of Fame and Museum.
Bell was born on January 26, 1943 inKingston, Jamaica,[3] to Anna and Leroy Bell, and moved toPhiladelphia with his parents when he was four, according to an interview Bell had withTerry Gross onNPR'sFresh Air.[4][5][6] Both of Bell's parents were fromJamaica.[7][8] Thomas Bedward Burke, Bell's maternal grandfather, was born in Kingston.[9][10]
Known as Thom, Bell was one of eleven siblings. His mother, Anna, worked as a stenographer and was a pianist. Leroy, his father, owned a fish market and restaurant in addition to being musical, playing the accordion andHawaiian guitar.[11]
Bell wasclassically trained as a musician and sang as a teenager withKenny Gamble,Leon Huff, andDaryl Hall (ofHall & Oates fame). Bell's first big break in soul music was withCameo Records in Philadelphia where he worked as a session player and arranger.[2] In 1967, he was introduced to a local group calledThe Delfonics, and he produced two early singles for them on Moon Shot and Cameo labels.[2] Bell brought a mellifluous and hypnotic style to soul music. Soon this productionaesthetic yielded several big hits for the group on the Philly Groove label, run by their manager Stan Watson.[2] The releases included "La-La (Means I Love You)" and "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time),"[12] the latter of which was nominated for aGrammy Award in 1970.
Bell joined the fast-growing record production company operated by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff in Philadelphia, working as an arranger for acts includingJerry Butler,Archie Bell & the Drells, Jerry Bell,The O'Jays, andDusty Springfield.[2] He arranged big hits, including the O'Jays' popular "Back Stabbers," on Gamble and Huff's record label,Philadelphia International Records, which the two launched in 1971.[2] Bell then joined Gamble and Huff in setting up a publishing company for their songs, Mighty Three Music.[13]
By 1971, Bell had moved on to produce a local group,the Stylistics onAvco Records.[2] He had started to work with songwriterLinda Creed, from Philadelphia; their partnership became one of the era's dominant soul songwriting teams, writing Stylistics hits including "Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart)", "You Are Everything", "Betcha by Golly, Wow", "Break Up to Make Up", "You Make Me Feel Brand New", and "I'm Stone in Love with You" (the last co-written with Bell's brother Tony).[2] In 1972, Bell agreed to produceThe Spinners forAtlantic Records.[2] The group had left their longtime label,Motown, after years of only occasional success there. He made them a hit recording act, producing five gold albums and top-ten singles including "I'll Be Around", "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love", "Games People Play", and "The Rubberband Man".[14] In 1974, he was awarded aGrammy forBest Producer of the Year.[15]
In 1975, Bell produced an album forDionne Warwick calledTrack of the Cat which followed "Then Came You," her collaboration with Bell and the Spinners from 1974. It topped theBillboard Hot 100 reaching number two on the R&B chart. Bell worked in the mid-to-late '70s withJohnny Mathis (two albums),[2]Billy Paul, Ronnie Dyson,Little Anthony and the Imperials, the R&B groupNew York City, and others. Then Bell had success withDeniece Williams including her R&B number-one and top-ten remake ofThe Royalettes' "It's Gonna Take a Miracle" in 1982;[16][17]Elton John, whose EPThe Thom Bell Sessions featuredbacking vocals by the Spinners and produced the top-ten hit "Mama Can't Buy You Love" in 1979; andJames Ingram, whose "I Don't Have the Heart" became Bell's second number-one pop hit, in 1990. Other artists Bell produced in the 1980s includedThe Temptations,Phyllis Hyman, andDee Dee Bridgewater; he also re-united briefly with the Stylistics in 1981 on Philadelphia International's subsidiary, TSOP.Warner Chappell Music acquired Mighty Three Music in 1990.[18] A December 2008 interview with Bell featured on the Philly Soul box set,Love Train, stated he would soon compose a piece for thePhiladelphia Orchestra. Past Orchestra members played inMFSB, thehouse band who played on many Bell productions.
Bell was known for being a perfectionist in his writing and very budget-conscious, demanding that session musicians play his compositions as they were written and not improvise.[19]
Bell married Sylvia Bell in 1965 and they divorced in 1984. He married Vanessa Joanne Wittrock inSeattle on December 29, 1985.[4][6] He had six children.[4][20]
On December 22, 2022 at the age of 79, Bell died at his home inBellingham, Washington north ofEverett, after a lengthy illness.[21][22]
She is survived by her eldest son, Thom Bell, and only daughter, Barbara Bell; she had many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
She is survived by her eldest son, Thom Bell, and only daughter, Barbara Bell; she had many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
