Maggie Bell - In My Life

Margaret Bell (born 12 January 1945 in Maryhill, Glasgow, Scotland) is a Scottish rock vocalist. She came to fame as co-lead vocalist of the blues-rock group Stone the Crows, and was described as the UK's closest counterpart to American singer Janis Joplin. From a musical family, she sang from her teenage years, leaving school at the age of fifteen, to work as a window dresser by day and singer at night. Bell was introduced to Leslie Harvey, by his older brother Alex, after getting up on stage to sing with the latter. Leslie Harvey was, at that time, a guitarist with the Kinning Park Ramblers. Bell joined the group as one of the vocalists. After the band split up, Bell moved to the Mecca Band at the Sauchiehall Street Locarno, and later to the Dennistoun Palais Band. She then rejoined Harvey, forming Power initially known as The Power of Music and eventually The Power. Bell and The Power regularly performed at The Easterhouse Project, run by Archie Hind and Graeme Noble. They also toured United States Air Force bases in Germany in the mid 1960s. Peter Grant, who was managing The Yardbirds at the time, heard Power playing at one of these bases and agreed to produce and manage them, impressed by the vocal ability of Bell and the guitar playing of Harvey. Power was then renamed as Stone the Crows, an expression used by Grant upon hearing this band. Stone the Crows split up in 1973, after Leslie Harvey's accidental death from electrocution on 2 May 1972. Harvey had been an integral part of the band and its music. Peter Grant remained as Bell's manager after the split, and along with Mark London offered to help Bell record a solo album. She subsequently recorded two further albums for Atlantic Records, one produced by Felix Pappalardi and the other produced by Felix Cavaliere. Neither has yet been released. Grant then oversaw her first solo album release Queen of the Night (1974), which was recorded in New York City with record producer Jerry Wexler. Bell signed to the then newly formed Swan Song Records in 1974, along with Bad Company and Pretty Things, as one of the first signings to the label. Jimmy Page contributed to her second album Suicide Sal (1975). Bell then tried to capture past blues rock glories by fronting Midnight Flyer, who were a popular live act but their sole eponymous album released in 1981 was not a commercial success. Returning to a solo career, she had her biggest hit in the UK in 1981 duetting with B. A. Robertson on a cover version of "Hold Me" which reached No. 11 in the UK Singles Chart. Bell also performed at many charity gigs during this period. While working with Stone the Crows, Bell was the subject of a BBC documentary in the 1972 Sounding Out series.[10] Bell sang the end credits theme for the late 1970s ITV detective drama Hazell, with lyrics written by Judy Forrest and music by Andy Mackay. Her song "No Mean City", written by Mike Moran, was the theme music to the TV crime drama Taggart. Maggie Bell (geb. Margaret Bell; * 12. Januar 1945 in Glasgow, Schottland) ist eine britische Sängerin, die vor allem mit der Rockband Stone the Crows bekannt wurde. Maggie Bell stammt aus einer musikalischen Familie. Als Teenager sang sie in lokalen Tanzbands. Dabei lernte sie auch den Gitarristen Leslie Harvey kennen. 1967 trafen sie wieder aufeinander, als sie beide mit einer Band in Deutschland unterwegs waren, die in amerikanischen Kasernen auftrat. 1968 gründeten Bell und Harvey die Formation „Power“, die in Glasgow recht erfolgreich war und aus der im Jahr darauf Stone the Crows wurde. Die Band brachte zwischen 1970 und 1972 vier Alben heraus, löste sich jedoch 1973 auf, nachdem Harvey im Jahr davor durch einen elektrischen Schlag beim Aufbauen von Mikrofonen auf der Bühne ums Leben gekommen war. Danach begann Maggie Bell, solo zu arbeiten. Sie nahm zwei Alben in New York auf, die jedoch nie veröffentlicht wurden. Erst der dritte Versuch mit dem neuen Manager Jerry Wexler führte zum ersten, vielgelobten Soloalbum Queen Of The Night (1973). 1975 folgte das zweite Album Suicide Sal. Nach Jahren auf Tour zog sich Maggie Bell von der Musikbühne zurück. Sie schrieb Filmmusik und kümmerte sich um ihre Familie. In den 1990ern begann sie wieder aufzutreten, u. a. mit der Alex Harvey Band und Chris Farlowe. Außerdem war sie von 2006 bis 2013 Mitglied der Band The British Blues Quintet (mit Zoot Money, Frank Diez, Colin Hodgkinson und Colin Allen), von der auch im November 2007 das Album Live in Glasgow (Recorded At The Ferry) erschienen ist. Von April bis November 2011 tourte Maggie Bell mit dem Jon Lord Blues Project (Miller Anderson, Jon Lord, Pete York, Zoot Money, Colin Hodgkinson) durch Deutschland und Österreich. Nach dem krankheitsbedingten Ausstieg Lords, der 2012 starb, war die Formation 2012 wieder als Pete York Blues Project in Deutschland auf Tour. 2013 und 2014 ging sie mit der Hamburg Blues Band auf Tournee.