Ian Shaw & Madeline Bell
@ the Pizza Express Jazz Club
14 January 2011-14 January 2010
Click an image to enlarge.
Madeline Bell biography
Born Madeline Bell Brodus on 23 July 1942 in Newark,
New Jersey, USA, and raised by her grandmother, who was originally
instrumental in encouraging Bell’s natural singing talent
at the age of five. She sang gospel music in church and at school,
approximately eight years later Bell became aware of pop music,
inspired by Sam Cook.
During her High School years Bell met singers at
school who targeted their gospel music towards pop music. In addition
Bell sang on corners of streets, local clubs, and talent shows.
Bell was a prominent member of the local gospel choir and at the
age of fourteen her voice was unique and powerfully penetrating,
with such range it could be distinctly heard above a one hundred
and fifty strong gospel ensemble.
Bell was sixteen when she joined her first gospel
group The Glovertones and sang in church halls all over New Jersey
and New York. This superb group toured America’s Deep South
with Bell’s illuminating voice impressing audiences everywhere.
Bell stayed with The Glovertones for two years until her involvement
with the Alex Bradford Singers.
Alex Bradford who formed and pioneered America’s
most famous gospel group was immediately magnetised by Bell’s
compelling and creative voice. He instantly recruited her to the
group being acutely aware that Bell’s presence in the Alex
Bradford Singers would enhance their vocal performances. The Alex
Bradford Singers sang all over America and toured Europe as part
of the off-Broadway hit show “Black Nativity” written
by Langston Hughes. The musical was also recorded for television.
Bell played an integral part in the show projecting her magnificent
voice to the full. Such artists as Cliff Richard and Chris Barber
acclaimed “Black Nativity” when it was staged in London
in 1962. After completion of the “Black Nativity” tour
Bell decided to make her home in England.
Norman Newell, who was Shirley Bassey’s recording
manager, was so enthralled by Bell’s vocal diversity of style
that he was inspired to sign her to Columbia Records. She embarked
on a solo recording career making some excellent and outstanding
singles and working in cabaret. Bell’s first cabaret date
was in 1964 at the “La Dolce Vita” nightclub in Newcastle
upon Tyne. Also on the bill were Lionel Blair and comedian Les Dawson.
Bell moved into vocal backing work having signed
to sing vocal backing along with Lesley Duncan and Doris Troy on
the legendary Dusty Springfield hit “In The Middle Of Nowhere”.
Later more impressive quality vocal backing followed on future Dusty
recording sessions, joined mainly by her colleagues Lesley Duncan,
Kiki Dee and Kay Garner. Bell proceeded to be signed to Philips
Records and made some spectacular singles to include Bacharach and
David’s “What The World Needs Now Is Love”, Rogers
and Hammerstein’s “Climb Every Mountain” and Motown
songwriters Ashford and Simpson’s “One Step At A Time”.
Bell also provided exhilarating vocal backing for Cliff Richard,
Tom Jones, Scott Walker, Long John Baldry, Joe Cocker, Elton John
and many more singers too numerous to mention.
Her vocal contribution on these stars’ records added that
necessary golden ingredient to make the recordings more noticeable.
It is a certain fact that Bell assisted in making many known singers
worldwide celebrities. Bell’s powerful voice was clearly ahead
of its time and that all-important British hit single eluded her.
Bell achieved another aspect to her career by making T.V. Jingles
including British Gas, Tea, McDonalds and other significant brand
leading product commercials.
Bell’s first UK album in 1967 entitled “Bell's
A Poppin” included her USA hit “I'm Gonna Make You Love
Me” which incidentally featured the international singing
legend and ‘Icon Of Music’ Dusty Springfield providing
vocal backing on the song.
Along with singer and song writer Roger Cook, Bell
became a central part of the invigorating group “Blue Mink”
and recorded a fantastic memorable song called “Melting Pot”
which became a huge British hit in 1969, reaching number 3 in the
hit parade and remaining in the charts for 15 weeks. The group succeeded
in having 7 hit singles, spending a total of 84 weeks in the charts
throughout their career. Blue Mink finally parted in May 1974 after
a very successful career.
Bell’s diverse talents were utilised to their
full potential on soundtracks to films to include “Hammerhead”,
“A Touch Of Class”, and “The Greek Tycoon”
and in addition displayed remarkable diversity in writing some of
her own songs and appearing in the Dutch production of the “The
Cotton Club” and Lionel Bart’s splendid “La Strada”,
where she performed lead vocal. John Paul Jones from the famous
Led Zeppelin group wrote songs with Bell and provided backing for
her T.V. shows.
Bell worked for James Last on a world tour and
provided exquisite vocal backing on his shows and albums. She has
worked with the BBC’s Big Band and was their special guest
on 19 August 1999 at the Royal Albert Hall London She has performed
at the world famous Ronnie Scott’s club in London since 1987
and on every occasion received a tumultuous reaction from enthusiastic
audiences.
Bell has enraptured Holland many times with her
glittering performances and completed a nine-week tour, which proved
to be a resounding success. In Holland Bell became famous because
of her substantial contribution to the CD productions with Tom Parker.
These productions, which are popular arrangements of classical composers
like Beethoven, Verdi, and Handel, have attained massive sales.
Bell has worked with the Netherlands Metropole Orchestra which comprises
of no less than sixty one musicians and has recorded a CD called
“Beat Out That Rhythm On A Drum”, which is on the Koch
International Label 1998. Her versions of “Bridge Over Troubled
Water” and “Evergreen” are adorable musical masterpieces.
The orchestra is a national and international phenomenon and has
also worked with Celine Dion, Andy Williams, Natalie Cole, Sarah
Vaughan, Andrea Bocelli, Ella Fitzgerald, Art Garfunkel and many
more worldwide entertainers.
Boyzone were enthusiastically interested in working
with Bell and in 1996 recorded a new version of her outstanding
hit “Melting Pot”, which is featured on the Boyzone
hit CD “A Different Beat”.
Joe Cocker insisted on waiting one year until this
most in demand session singer was free to record with him on the
song “With A Little Help From My Friends” which became
a British number one, thanks to the outstanding vocal performance
of Madeline Bell.
Born Madeline Bell Brodus on 23 July 1942 in Newark,
New Jersey, USA, and raised by her grandmother, who was originally
instrumental in encouraging Bell’s natural singing talent at
the age of five. She sang gospel music in church and at school, approximately
eight years later Bell became aware of pop music, inspired by Sam
Cook.
During her High School years Bell met singers at school who targeted
their gospel music towards pop music. In addition Bell sang on corners
of streets, local clubs, and talent shows. Bell was a prominent
member of the local gospel choir and at the age of fourteen her
voice was unique and powerfully penetrating, with such range it
could be distinctly heard above a one hundred and fifty strong gospel
ensemble.
Bell was sixteen when she joined her first gospel group The Glovertones
and sang in church halls all over New Jersey and New York. This
superb group toured America’s Deep South with Bell’s
illuminating voice impressing audiences everywhere. Bell stayed
with The Glovertones for two years until her involvement with the
Alex Bradford Singers.
Alex Bradford who formed and pioneered America’s most famous
gospel group was immediately magnetised by Bell’s compelling
and creative voice. He instantly recruited her to the group being
acutely aware that Bell’s presence in the Alex Bradford Singers
would enhance their vocal performances. The Alex Bradford Singers
sang all over America and toured Europe as part of the off-Broadway
hit show “Black Nativity” written by Langston Hughes.
The musical was also recorded for television. Bell played an integral
part in the show projecting her magnificent voice to the full. Such
artists as Cliff Richard and Chris Barber acclaimed “Black
Nativity” when it was staged in London in 1962. After completion
of the “Black Nativity” tour Bell decided to make her
home in England.
Norman Newell, who was Shirley Bassey’s recording manager,
was so enthralled by Bell’s vocal diversity of style that
he was inspired to sign her to Columbia Records. She embarked on
a solo recording career making some excellent and outstanding singles
and working in cabaret. Bell’s first cabaret date was in 1964
at the “La Dolce Vita” nightclub in Newcastle upon Tyne.
Also on the bill were Lionel Blair and comedian Les Dawson.
Bell moved into vocal backing work having signed to sing vocal
backing along with Lesley Duncan and Doris Troy on the legendary
Dusty Springfield hit “In The Middle Of Nowhere”. Later
more impressive quality vocal backing followed on future Dusty recording
sessions, joined mainly by her colleagues Lesley Duncan, Kiki Dee
and Kay Garner. Bell proceeded to be signed to Philips Records and
made some spectacular singles to include Bacharach and David’s
“What The World Needs Now Is Love”, Rogers and Hammerstein’s
“Climb Every Mountain” and Motown songwriters Ashford
and Simpson’s “One Step At A Time”. Bell also
provided exhilarating vocal backing for Cliff Richard, Tom Jones,
Scott Walker, Long John Baldry, Joe Cocker, Elton John and many
more singers too numerous to mention.
Her vocal contribution on these stars’ records added that
necessary golden ingredient to make the recordings more noticeable.
It is a certain fact that Bell assisted in making many known singers
worldwide celebrities. Bell’s powerful voice was clearly ahead
of its time and that all-important British hit single eluded her.
Bell achieved another aspect to her career by making T.V. Jingles
including British Gas, Tea, McDonalds and other significant brand
leading product commercials.
Bell’s first UK album in 1967 entitled “Bell's A Poppin”
included her USA hit “I'm Gonna Make You Love Me” which
incidentally featured the international singing legend and ‘Icon
Of Music’ Dusty Springfield providing vocal backing on the
song.
Along with singer and song writer Roger Cook, Bell became a central
part of the invigorating group “Blue Mink” and recorded
a fantastic memorable song called “Melting Pot” which
became a huge British hit in 1969, reaching number 3 in the hit
parade and remaining in the charts for 15 weeks. The group succeeded
in having 7 hit singles, spending a total of 84 weeks in the charts
throughout their career. Blue Mink finally parted in May 1974 after
a very successful career.
Bell’s diverse talents were utilised to their full potential
on soundtracks to films to include “Hammerhead”, “A
Touch Of Class”, and “The Greek Tycoon” and in
addition displayed remarkable diversity in writing some of her own
songs and appearing in the Dutch production of the “The Cotton
Club” and Lionel Bart’s splendid “La Strada”,
where she performed lead vocal. John Paul Jones from the famous
Led Zeppelin group wrote songs with Bell and provided backing for
her T.V. shows.
Bell worked for James Last on a world tour and provided exquisite
vocal backing on his shows and albums. She has worked with the BBC’s
Big Band and was their special guest on 19 August 1999 at the Royal
Albert Hall London She has performed at the world famous Ronnie
Scott’s club in London since 1987 and on every occasion received
a tumultuous reaction from enthusiastic audiences.
Bell has enraptured Holland many times with her glittering performances
and completed a nine-week tour, which proved to be a resounding
success. In Holland Bell became famous because of her substantial
contribution to the CD productions with Tom Parker. These productions,
which are popular arrangements of classical composers like Beethoven,
Verdi, and Handel, have attained massive sales. Bell has worked
with the Netherlands Metropole Orchestra which comprises of no less
than sixty one musicians and has recorded a CD called “Beat
Out That Rhythm On A Drum”, which is on the Koch International
Label 1998. Her versions of “Bridge Over Troubled Water”
and “Evergreen” are adorable musical masterpieces. The
orchestra is a national and international phenomenon and has also
worked with Celine Dion, Andy Williams, Natalie Cole, Sarah Vaughan,
Andrea Bocelli, Ella Fitzgerald, Art Garfunkel and many more worldwide
entertainers.
Boyzone were enthusiastically interested in working with Bell and
in 1996 recorded a new version of her outstanding hit “Melting
Pot”, which is featured on the Boyzone hit CD “A Different
Beat”.
Joe Cocker insisted on waiting one year until this most in demand
session singer was free to record with him on the song “With
A Little Help From My Friends” which became a British number
one, thanks to the outstanding vocal performance of Madeline Bell.
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