Simon Bell
Encyclopedia
Simon Bell is a Scottish
session singer based in London
who has worked with several noted singers.
, Glasgow
, Bell first sang in local bands in the 1960s, including the bands The Soundtracks, formed at Shawlands Academy
, where he was educated, and Harlem Shuffle
. He has worked with Marvin Gaye
, Hot Chocolate, Elkie Brooks
, Elaine Paige
, Leo Sayer
, and the James Last
Orchestra.
His career as a session singer began in earnest when he relocated to London in the 1970s, Bell was initially taken under the wing of American soul star Doris Troy
. Troy's connections began landing Bell singing gigs on recording sessions with soul singers like Madeline Bell
.
Simon Bell's first single, Giving It Plenty, was issued in 1977 on the PYE label. It was used as the theme to the move Number One Of the Secret Service and also featured in the Susan George
shark movie Tintorera
. Doris Troy recorded his composition All I Have Is Written In Your Eyes on her album Stretching Out.
Bell has also written songs with John Paul Jones
of Led Zeppelin
for the move Scream for Help (album)
, and had his own compositions in numerous films.
In recent years he has been a contributor to most documentaries on Dusty Springfield, and he mentored the Dusty impressionist on BBC televisions The One And Only. Katy Setterfield went on to win the series.
, he eventually met Dusty Springfield
, with whom he would have a long and fruitful association for many years. Bell met Springfield at a challenging time in her career, and he became not only a backup singer for her, but also a close friend and confidante. Bell remained close friends with Springfield, helping her through her illness and singing at her funeral after her death from breast cancer in 1999.
Bell still maintains a website, "Dusty Devotedly", that pays tribute to Springfield. Bell is one of Springfield's colleagues who have maintained a diligent presence in the press and on the Internet in an effort to protect her legacy.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
session singer based in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
who has worked with several noted singers.
Career
Born in TradestonTradeston
Tradeston is a district in the Scottish city of Glasgow adjacent to the city centre on the south bank of the River Clyde.-Geography:Tradeston is bounded by the River Clyde to the north, the Glasgow to Paisley railway line on the east and south and the Kingston Bridge and M8 motorway to the west...
, Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Bell first sang in local bands in the 1960s, including the bands The Soundtracks, formed at Shawlands Academy
Shawlands Academy
Shawlands Academy is a non-denominational secondary school on the southside of Glasgow, Scotland.-Admissions:It has a roll of approximately 1,250 pupils and 90 teachers...
, where he was educated, and Harlem Shuffle
Harlem Shuffle
Harlem Shuffle can refer to:* "Harlem Shuffle" * Harlem Shuffle...
. He has worked with Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
, Hot Chocolate, Elkie Brooks
Elkie Brooks
Elkie Brooks is an English singer, formerly a vocalist with Vinegar Joe, and later a solo artist. Elkie has been nominated twice for Brit Awards' top female singer. She is known for her powerful husky voice...
, Elaine Paige
Elaine Paige
Elaine Paige OBE is an English singer and actress best known for her work in musical theatre. Raised in Barnet, North London, Paige attended the Aida Foster stage school, making her first professional appearance on stage in 1964, at the age of 16...
, Leo Sayer
Leo Sayer
Leo Sayer is a British singer-songwriter, musician, and entertainer whose singing career has spanned four decades. Sayer became a naturalised Australian citizen in 2009. Sayer was a top singles and album act on both sides of the Atlantic in the 1970s...
, and the James Last
James Last
James Last is a German composer and big band leader. His "happy music" made his numerous albums best-sellers in Germany and the United Kingdom. His composition, "Happy Heart", became an international success in interpretations by Andy Williams and Petula Clark...
Orchestra.
His career as a session singer began in earnest when he relocated to London in the 1970s, Bell was initially taken under the wing of American soul star Doris Troy
Doris Troy
Doris Troy was an American R&B singer, known to her many fans as "Mama Soul".She was born as Doris Higginson in The Bronx, the daughter of a Barbadian Pentecostal minister. Her parents disapproved of "subversive" forms of music like rhythm & blues, so she cut her teeth singing in her father's choir...
. Troy's connections began landing Bell singing gigs on recording sessions with soul singers like Madeline Bell
Madeline Bell
Madeline Bell is an American soul singer, who became famous as a performer in the United Kingdom during the 1960s, having arrived from the US in the gospel show Black Nativity in 1962, with vocal group The Bradford Singers.-Career:She worked as a session singer, most notably backing for Dusty...
.
Simon Bell's first single, Giving It Plenty, was issued in 1977 on the PYE label. It was used as the theme to the move Number One Of the Secret Service and also featured in the Susan George
Susan George (actress)
Susan Melody George is an English film and television actress, and film producer.-Career:She trained at the Stage School, Corona Theatre School and has acted since the age of four, appearing on both television and film...
shark movie Tintorera
Tintorera
Tintorera is a 1977 Mexican-British horror directed by René Cardona Jr and starring Susan George, Hugo Stiglitz, Fiona Lewis and Andrés García. It is based on the novel of the same name by oceanographer Ramón Bravo that studied the species of shark known as "tintorera" and discovered the...
. Doris Troy recorded his composition All I Have Is Written In Your Eyes on her album Stretching Out.
Bell has also written songs with John Paul Jones
John Paul Jones (musician)
John Paul Jones is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, composer, arranger and record producer. Best known as the bassist, mandolinist, and keyboardist for English rock band Led Zeppelin, Jones has since developed a solo career and has gained even more respect as both a musician and a...
of Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
for the move Scream for Help (album)
Scream for Help (album)
2000 Compact disc editionSame track listing and order as the vinyl release.- Personnel :* John Paul Jones - Keyboards, synthesizer, bass guitar, guitars, backing vocals, producer* Jimmy Page - Electric guitars...
, and had his own compositions in numerous films.
In recent years he has been a contributor to most documentaries on Dusty Springfield, and he mentored the Dusty impressionist on BBC televisions The One And Only. Katy Setterfield went on to win the series.
The Springfield connection
Through Madeline BellMadeline Bell
Madeline Bell is an American soul singer, who became famous as a performer in the United Kingdom during the 1960s, having arrived from the US in the gospel show Black Nativity in 1962, with vocal group The Bradford Singers.-Career:She worked as a session singer, most notably backing for Dusty...
, he eventually met Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'BrienSources use both Isabel and Isobel as the spelling of her second name. OBE , known professionally as Dusty Springfield and dubbed The White Queen of Soul, was a British pop singer whose career extended from the late 1950s to the 1990s...
, with whom he would have a long and fruitful association for many years. Bell met Springfield at a challenging time in her career, and he became not only a backup singer for her, but also a close friend and confidante. Bell remained close friends with Springfield, helping her through her illness and singing at her funeral after her death from breast cancer in 1999.
Bell still maintains a website, "Dusty Devotedly", that pays tribute to Springfield. Bell is one of Springfield's colleagues who have maintained a diligent presence in the press and on the Internet in an effort to protect her legacy.