Ed Bell (musician)
| Ed Bell | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Edward Bell |
| Also known as |
Sluefoot Joe Barefoot Bill from Alabama |
| Born |
May 1905 Davis Plantation, Fort Deposit, Alabama, United States |
| Died |
1960, 1965 or 1966 Greenville, Alabama, United States |
| Genres | Country blues, Piedmont blues[1] |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, guitarist, songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1920s–1940s |
| Labels | Paramount, QRS, Columbia |
Ed Bell (May 1905 – 1960, 1965 or 1966)[1][2][3] was an American Piedmont and country blues singer, guitarist and songwriter. Some of his records were released under pseudonyms, such as Sluefoot Joe, and Barefoot Bill from Alabama.[1] The same person connection between all three names has only recently been verified by historians.[1][3][4] His best remembered recording was "Mamlish Blues".[1]
Colin Larkin noted in the Encyclopedia of Popular Music that "Bell stands as the most influential Alabama artist in pre-war blues recordings."[5]
Biography
Bell was born on the Davis Plantation near Fort Deposit, Alabama, United States, but as a child moved with his family to Greenville, Alabama. An older cousin, Joe Pat Dean, took Bell to Muscle Shoals, Alabama in 1919, where the learned to play the blues. In the early 1920s, Bell mixed working in agriculture with playing the blues, often with his friend Pillie Bolling. He performed many times in Philadelphia and Ohio. His debut Paramount Records recording of the self-penned "Mamlish Blues" b/w "The Hambone Blues," was part of a four song session that Bell recorded in Chicago in 1927.[1] The word 'mamlish' was a term of somewhat unknown origin that was utilised in several blues recordings of that period.[6]
He next recorded in April 1929, cutting eight songs for QRS Records. Here he was billed on the releases as Sluefoot Joe, which were recorded with Clifford Gibson playing guitar and piano. The remainder of his recorded work took place in Atlanta, Georgia, between 1929 and 1930.[1] Billed now as Barefoot Bill from Alabama, the songs were released by Columbia Records.[7] Bell and Bolling also played together on a couple of tracks; "I Don't Like That" and "She's Got A Nice Line".[1][7][8] Bell's own songs of that time included "Squabbling Blues", recorded on April 20, 1930. The narrative depicted a situation when close to death, that should all connected to the singer be unable to agree who should have the body, then it should be thrown in the sea, so that people would "quit squabblin' over me".[9] However, the Barefoot Bill version of Bell tended to concentrate on imprisonment and voodoo, as themes for his songs.[10]
Eventually tiring of his life as a traveling blues musician, Bell became a Baptist preacher, married and settled in Montgomery, Alabama. He later became the Moderator of the Southern District.[1]
Bell died in Greenville in 1960, 1965 or 1966, possibly during a civil rights march,[1][5] although other sources suggest natural causes, murder due to his involvement in the civil rights movement, and black magic.[4]
Legacy
His influence has been noted in the 1970s work of John Lee.[3]
Compilation discography
- Ed Bell's Mamlish Moan (Mamlish Records, 1983)[11]
- Ed Bell (Barefoot Bill / Sluefoot Joe) – Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order 1927 ~ 1930: Mamlish Blues (Document Records, 2008)[12]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 Arwulf Arwulf. "Ed Bell Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 2014-09-15.
- ↑ "Overview : Ed Bell". Oxfordreference.com. Retrieved 2014-09-15.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Larkin, Colin (1998). The Virgin Encyclopedia of the Blues (1st ed.). London, England: Virgin Books. p. 21. ISBN 0753502267.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Ed Bell - Ed Bell's Mamlish Moan (Mamlish, 1970s)". Record-fiend.blogspot.co.uk. 2010-11-02. Retrieved 2014-09-15.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Ed Bell Biography". Oldies.com. Retrieved 2014-09-15.
- ↑ Calt, Stephen (2009). Barrelhouse Words: A Blues Dialect Dictionary (First ed.). University of Illinois Press. p. 155. ISBN 978-0-252-03347-6.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Barefoot Bill". Pastblues.com. Retrieved 2014-09-15.
- ↑ "Ed Bell 1927 - 1930". Document-records.com. Retrieved 2014-09-15.
- ↑ Sullivan, Steve (2013). Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings, Volume 2. Scarecrow Press, Inc. p. 36. ISBN 978-0-8108-8295-9.
- ↑ Oliver, Paul. Blues Fell This Morning. Cambridge University Press. p. 191 & 126. ISBN 0-521-37793-5.
- ↑ "Ed Bell's Mamlish Moan | Overview". Allmusic. Retrieved 2014-09-15.
- ↑ "Ed Bell (Barefoot Bill / Sluefoot Joe)* – Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order 1927 ~ 1930: Mamlish Blues". Discogs. Retrieved 2014-09-15.