Al Bell
Encyclopedia
Al Bell is an American record producer, songwriter, and record executive. Bell is best known as one of the key figures behind and a co-owner of Memphis, Tennessee
-based Stax Records
during the latter half of the label's nineteen-year existence. A former disc jockey in his hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas
, Bell was vital to the careers of Stax's soul
stars such as The Staples Singers and Isaac Hayes
, The Emotions
, The Dramatics
, and Mel and Tim
. Bell's promotional efforts drove the “Memphis Sound” internationally, and made Stax the second-largest African American-owned business in the 1970s. In 2009, the BBC
profiled Bell as "one of the icons of soul music" and "the driving force behind Stax Records"
Following his career at Stax, Bell became President of Motown Records Group
during its restructuring for sale to MCA
and Boston Ventures Group, and later started his own label, Bellmark, whose releases included Tag Team's single “Whoomp! (There It Is)
” (1993). Today, Bell works in the independent music scene in Memphis, as well as maintaining an online music website and radio show at AlBellPresents.com
. In addition to his administrative and promotional work, Bell was often directly involved in the production of the label's music, working as a songwriter and a producer for several acts on the label.
In 1968, following the plane crash that killed Stax's biggest star, Otis Redding
, Stax severed its distribution deal with Atlantic Records
, which retained the label's back catalog to that point. Bell launched an initiative designed to put out enough albums and singles in an effort to rebuild a catalog for Stax. New signees included gospel stars The Staples Singers, as well as newcomers The Emotions
and The Soul Children
. Bell notably scheduled twenty-seven albums for near-simultaneous release in mid-1969, and produced much of the material himself. One of those albums, Hot Buttered Soul
by Stax songwriter/producer Isaac Hayes
, was a significant success, and established Hayes as a recording artist in his own right. Mr. Bell was most directly involved in shaping the careers of the Staples Singers, creating for them a new sound which resulted in hits such as "Respect Yourself
" and "I'll Take You There
," the latter of which he wrote.
, unhappy with Bell's visions for the company, sold her shares and departed from the label. He therefore became the first African-American to have equity in the label; although Stax specialized in African-American music, both of its founders, Stewart and Axton, were white
.
In the 1970s Stewart began turning over more and more of Stax's daily operations to Bell, who began ambitious plans to expand the company's operations, similar to what Berry Gordy, Jr. had been doing at Motown Records. Stax began distributing music from several smaller Memphis labels and produced and released the soundtracks for feature films such as Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song
and Shaft
(both 1971). In 1972, Al Bell supervised the Wattstax
festival, a day-long concert featuring Stax artists which was held in Los Angeles in response to the Watts riots
. A 1973 Wattstax documentary film was the production by the label's new film division.
After four years of the label distributing its own records, Bell signed a new distribution deal with CBS Records
in 1972. Stax's relationship with CBS was tumultuous at best; with Bell and the Stax staff borrowing heavily from Memphis' Union Planters Bank but CBS withholding records from stores and profits from Stax, the label's fortunes sharply declined until it slid into bankruptcy and was closed by court order in late 1975. Al Bell was indicted for, and later acquitted of, bank fraud during the Stax bankruptcy proceedings.
and through his Bellmark Records label released their hit single “Whoomp! (There It Is)
” (1993), which became one of the fastest selling singles in the music industry history. Mr. Bell also released Prince
's hit single "The Most Beautiful Girl In The World", after Prince's label Warner Bros. Records
turned him down.
After Bellmark Records, Bell returned to Little Rock to begin work on a new web-based venture, Al Bell Presents, where he hosts a successful online radio
program, Al Bell Presents: American Soul Music. In 2009, Bell was profiled in the New York Times and on the BBC
as he returned to Memphis to help develop the city's independent music scene.
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
-based Stax Records
Stax Records
Stax Records is an American record label, originally based in Memphis, Tennessee.Founded in 1957 as Satellite Records, the name Stax Records was adopted in 1961. The label was a major factor in the creation of the Southern soul and Memphis soul music styles, also releasing gospel, funk, jazz, and...
during the latter half of the label's nineteen-year existence. A former disc jockey in his hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
, Bell was vital to the careers of Stax's soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
stars such as The Staples Singers and Isaac Hayes
Isaac Hayes
Isaac Lee Hayes, Jr. was an American songwriter, musician, singer and actor. Hayes was one of the creative influences behind the southern soul music label Stax Records, where he served both as an in-house songwriter and as a record producer, teaming with his partner David Porter during the...
, The Emotions
The Emotions
The Emotions are an American all female soul and R&B singing group. The group was formed in its current hometown of Chicago, Illinois originally consisting of the three Hutchinson sisters, all the children of Joseph and Lillian Hutchinson....
, The Dramatics
The Dramatics
The Dramatics are an American soul music vocal group, formed in Detroit, Michigan in 1962. They are best known for their 1970s hit songs "In the Rain" and "Whatcha See is Whatcha Get", both of which were #1 R&B and Top 10 Pop hits.-Career:The Dramatics originally formed in 1962 recording as the...
, and Mel and Tim
Mel and Tim
Mel and Tim were an American soul music duo active in the 1960s and early 1970s, and best known for the hit, "Backfield in Motion" . They are also well known for: "Hope, Life's Goal" and "Starting All Over Again" .-Career:...
. Bell's promotional efforts drove the “Memphis Sound” internationally, and made Stax the second-largest African American-owned business in the 1970s. In 2009, the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
profiled Bell as "one of the icons of soul music" and "the driving force behind Stax Records"
Following his career at Stax, Bell became President of Motown Records Group
Motown Records
Motown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit...
during its restructuring for sale to MCA
Music Corporation of America
MCA, Inc. was an American talent agency. Initially starting in the music business, they would next become a dominant force in the film business, and later expanded into the television business...
and Boston Ventures Group, and later started his own label, Bellmark, whose releases included Tag Team's single “Whoomp! (There It Is)
Whoomp! (There It Is)
"Whoomp! " is a number two Billboard Hot 100 single by the Miami bass group Tag Team.The song sampled a beginning synthesizer line from the 1980 Italo-disco hit "I'm Ready" by Kano. The chorus is almost the same as the song "Whoot, There It Is" released by 95 South a month earlier, however the...
” (1993). Today, Bell works in the independent music scene in Memphis, as well as maintaining an online music website and radio show at AlBellPresents.com
Early career at Stax
Bell joined Stax in 1965 as director of promotions, and was essential in aiding the growth of the company's revenue. Over the next three years, he rose through the ranks of the company, eventually becoming executive vice president of Stax, and the most influential figure in the company after co-founder Jim StewartJim Stewart (music)
Jim Stewart is a former record company executive and producer who co-founded Stax Records.- Biography :Raised on a farm in Middleton, Tennessee, Stewart moved to Memphis in 1948, after graduating from high school. He worked at Sears, at First National Bank, and then was drafted into the United...
. In addition to his administrative and promotional work, Bell was often directly involved in the production of the label's music, working as a songwriter and a producer for several acts on the label.
In 1968, following the plane crash that killed Stax's biggest star, Otis Redding
Otis Redding
Otis Ray Redding, Jr. was an American soul singer-songwriter, record producer, arranger and talent scout. He is considered one of the major figures in soul and R&B...
, Stax severed its distribution deal with Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
, which retained the label's back catalog to that point. Bell launched an initiative designed to put out enough albums and singles in an effort to rebuild a catalog for Stax. New signees included gospel stars The Staples Singers, as well as newcomers The Emotions
The Emotions
The Emotions are an American all female soul and R&B singing group. The group was formed in its current hometown of Chicago, Illinois originally consisting of the three Hutchinson sisters, all the children of Joseph and Lillian Hutchinson....
and The Soul Children
The Soul Children
The Soul Children was an American vocal group who recorded soul music for Stax Records in the late 1960s and early 1970s. They had three top ten hits on the Billboard R&B chart – "The Sweeter He Is" , "Hearsay" , and "I'll Be The Other Woman" – all of which crossed over to the Hot...
. Bell notably scheduled twenty-seven albums for near-simultaneous release in mid-1969, and produced much of the material himself. One of those albums, Hot Buttered Soul
Hot Buttered Soul
Hot Buttered Soul was Isaac Hayes' second studio album. Released in 1969, it is recognized as a landmark in soul music.-Album history:The album almost never came to be...
by Stax songwriter/producer Isaac Hayes
Isaac Hayes
Isaac Lee Hayes, Jr. was an American songwriter, musician, singer and actor. Hayes was one of the creative influences behind the southern soul music label Stax Records, where he served both as an in-house songwriter and as a record producer, teaming with his partner David Porter during the...
, was a significant success, and established Hayes as a recording artist in his own right. Mr. Bell was most directly involved in shaping the careers of the Staples Singers, creating for them a new sound which resulted in hits such as "Respect Yourself
Respect Yourself
"Respect Yourself" is the name of a classic soul song by American R&B/gospel group The Staple Singers. Released in late 1971 from their album Be Altitude: Respect Yourself, the song became a crossover hit. It peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and reached #2 on the Hot Soul...
" and "I'll Take You There
I'll Take You There
"I'll Take You There" is a number-one single written and produced by Al Bell and performed by soul/gospel family band The Staple Singers, released on Stax Records in February 1972...
," the latter of which he wrote.
Stax in the 1970s
Bell became co-owner of Stax in 1969 when co-founder Estelle AxtonEstelle Axton
Estelle Axton was the co-founder, with her brother Jim Stewart, of Stax Records.Born in Middleton, Tennessee, Estelle Stewart grew up on a farm...
, unhappy with Bell's visions for the company, sold her shares and departed from the label. He therefore became the first African-American to have equity in the label; although Stax specialized in African-American music, both of its founders, Stewart and Axton, were white
White people
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
.
In the 1970s Stewart began turning over more and more of Stax's daily operations to Bell, who began ambitious plans to expand the company's operations, similar to what Berry Gordy, Jr. had been doing at Motown Records. Stax began distributing music from several smaller Memphis labels and produced and released the soundtracks for feature films such as Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song
Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song
Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song is a 1971 American independent drama film, written, produced, scored, directed by, and starring Melvin Van Peebles, father of actor Mario Van Peebles . It tells the picaresque story of a poor African American man on his flight from the white authority...
and Shaft
Shaft (1971 film)
Shaft is a 1971 American blaxploitation film directed by Gordon Parks, released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. An action film with elements of film noir, Shaft tells the story of a black private detective, John Shaft, who travels through Harlem and to the Italian mob neighborhoods in order to find the...
(both 1971). In 1972, Al Bell supervised the Wattstax
Wattstax
Wattstax is a 1973 documentary film by Mel Stuart that focused on the 1972 Wattstax music festival and the African American community of Watts in Los Angeles, California. The film was nominated for a Golden Globe award for Best Documentary Film in 1974...
festival, a day-long concert featuring Stax artists which was held in Los Angeles in response to the Watts riots
Watts Riots
The Watts Riots or the Watts Rebellion was a civil disturbance in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, California from August 11 to August 15, 1965. The 5-day riot resulted in 34 deaths, 1,032 injuries, and 3,438 arrests...
. A 1973 Wattstax documentary film was the production by the label's new film division.
After four years of the label distributing its own records, Bell signed a new distribution deal with CBS Records
CBS Records
CBS Records is a record label founded by CBS Corporation in 2006 to take advantage of music from its entertainment properties owned by CBS Television Studios. The initial label roster consisted of only three artists; rock band Señor Happy and singer/songwriters Will Dailey and P.J...
in 1972. Stax's relationship with CBS was tumultuous at best; with Bell and the Stax staff borrowing heavily from Memphis' Union Planters Bank but CBS withholding records from stores and profits from Stax, the label's fortunes sharply declined until it slid into bankruptcy and was closed by court order in late 1975. Al Bell was indicted for, and later acquitted of, bank fraud during the Stax bankruptcy proceedings.
Later career
After Stax folded, Bell returned to Little Rock. He voluntarily stayed away from the music industry for a decade, save for periodic participation in local recordings. In the 1980s, he became head of the Motown Records Group and worked closely with Berry Gordy, Jr. in the sale of Motown to the MCA/Boston Ventures Group. After Motown, he discovered the music group Tag TeamTag Team
Tag Team was a hip hop/pop rap duo from Atlanta, Georgia, United States active from 1993 up to 1995. The duo was made up of Cecil Glenn and Steve Gibson . They are best known for their #1 single, "Whoomp! ", which was released in 1993, but rereleased as a remix in 2000...
and through his Bellmark Records label released their hit single “Whoomp! (There It Is)
Whoomp! (There It Is)
"Whoomp! " is a number two Billboard Hot 100 single by the Miami bass group Tag Team.The song sampled a beginning synthesizer line from the 1980 Italo-disco hit "I'm Ready" by Kano. The chorus is almost the same as the song "Whoot, There It Is" released by 95 South a month earlier, however the...
” (1993), which became one of the fastest selling singles in the music industry history. Mr. Bell also released Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
's hit single "The Most Beautiful Girl In The World", after Prince's label Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
turned him down.
After Bellmark Records, Bell returned to Little Rock to begin work on a new web-based venture, Al Bell Presents, where he hosts a successful online radio
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
program, Al Bell Presents: American Soul Music. In 2009, Bell was profiled in the New York Times and on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
as he returned to Memphis to help develop the city's independent music scene.
Awards
Bell has received numerous awards, including:- Arthur A. Fletcher Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Black Chamber of Commerce
- Alex Haley "Roots Award," Greater Washington, DC Business Center
- National Award of Achievement, U.S. Department of Commerce
- Dare To Soar Award, Mosaic Templars Cultural Center
- Achievement Award, Boy Scouts of AmericaBoy Scouts of AmericaThe Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
- 1000 Most Successful Blacks, Ebony Magazine
- 100 Most Influential Black Men, Ebony Magazine
- Entered in "Who's Who in the WorldMarquis Who's WhoMarquis Who's Who, a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc., is the American publisher of a number of directories containing short biographies...
" - Inductee, America's Music and Entertainment of Fame
- Inducted – Arkansas Black Hall of Fame
- Member of the Board of Directors, Memphis Chamber of Commerce
- Member of the Board of Directors, Central Arkansas Chapter of the March of Dimes
- Member of the Board of Trustees, Philander Smith College
- Memphis' Legendary Record Producers Award, 2005
- W.C. Handy Lifetime Achievement Award, 2002
- Record Executive of the Year, Impact Magazine, 1994
- Record Executive of the Year, BRE, 1994
- Chairman’s Award, Southeast Music, 1994
- NARM Indie Best Seller Award ("Whoomp! There It Is" – Tag Team), 1994
- Independent Label of the Year Award, The Urban Network, 1994
- The Spirit of Freedom Award, Freedom Magazine, 1994
- Russell Simmons Award for Executive Excellence, Young Black Programmers' Coalition, 1993
- Black Music Chief Executive of the Year, Impact, 1993
- Living Legend Award, Warner Bros., Reprise Records & Urban Network, 1972 Heroes and Legends Leadership Award, 1991
- Voted Number Five in the 30 All-Time Greatest Executives in Black Music, Impact Magazine Poll, 1985
- Best Documentary (WattstaxWattstaxWattstax is a 1973 documentary film by Mel Stuart that focused on the 1972 Wattstax music festival and the African American community of Watts in Los Angeles, California. The film was nominated for a Golden Globe award for Best Documentary Film in 1974...
), nomination Golden Globe (1973) - Executive of the Year, Bill Gavin Radio Program Conference, 1971