Maggie Bell

Maggie Bell - The River Sessions - 2004 - River Records

Scottish soul-rock singer Maggie Bell first gained prominence singing with Stone the Crows, which released its first album in 1970 and broke up in June 1973. Bell went solo with Queen of the Night (featuring the U.S. number 97 "After Midnight") in 1974, followed by Suicide Sal, both of which charted in the U.S. Her only U.K. chart singles came with "Hazell" (number 37) in 1978, and a duet with B.A. Robertson, "Hold Me" (number 11), in 1981. © William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
The great Scottish blues lady Maggie Bell's career has been a long and very distinguished one. Her work with the legendary Stone The Crows, an impressive solo back catalogue and the obscure but impressive Midnight Flyer has established Maggie as one of the finest and most important and influential female blues/rock vocalists of the last 40 years. This album was recorded on Maggie's home ground, at the Pavillion, Glasgow, Scotland on 1.11.93. The album is composed of mainly cover versions of classic soul blues, and rock 'n' roll songs, like "Try A Little Tenderness", "Blue Suede Shoes", "Ain´t No Love In The Heart Of The City", and "Only Woman Bleed". This lady injects a passion into her singing, and it is a joy to hear these classic songs sung by the Scottish "Queen Of The Night". The great "Midnight Flyer (With Maggie Bell)" album is @ MAGBEL/MIDFL Maggie's "Live Boston Usa 1975" album is located @ MAGBEL/BOSTUS75 and check out Stone The Crows' "Niagara" album @ MAGBEL/STC/NIAG

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1. Introduction/Blue Suede Shoes (Perkins)
2. Try A Little Tenderness (Campbell, Connelly, Woods)
3. As The Years Go Passing By (Malone)
4. Only Woman Bleed (Kooper, Wagner)
5. Ain´t No Love In The Heart Of The City (Price, Walsh)
6. Good Man Monologue (Womack)
7. Trade Winds (McDonalds, Salter)
8. No Mean City (Moran)
9. Every Little Bit Hurts (Cobb)
10. That´s The Way I Feel (Sanders, Seskin)

BAND

Maggie Bell - Vocals
Ronnie Caryl - Guitars, Vocals
Paul Francis - Bass
Chris Parren - Keyboards
Jeff Seopardie - Drums, Vocals
Pat Crumley - Saxophone

SHORT BIO

12 January 1945, Glasgow, Scotland. Bell's career began in the mid-60s as the featured singer in several resident dancehall bands. She made her recording debut in 1966, completing two singles with Bobby Kerr under the name Frankie And Johnny. Bell then joined guitarist Leslie Harvey, another veteran of the same circuit, in Power, a hard rock outfit that evolved into Stone The Crows. This earthy, soul-based band, memorable for Harvey's imaginative playing and Bell's gutsy, heartfelt vocals, became a highly popular live attraction and helped the singer win several accolades. Bell's press release at the time insisted that she would loosen her vocal chords by gargling with gravel! Harvey, who was Bell's boyfriend at the time, was tragically electrocuted on stage in 1972. The band, still rocked by his death, split up the following year. Bell, now managed by Peter Grant, embarked on a solo career with Queen Of The Night, which was produced in New York by Jerry Wexler and featured the cream of the city's session musicians. The anticipated success did not materialize and further releases failed to reverse this trend. The singer did have a minor UK hit with "Hazell" (1978), the theme tune to a popular television series, but "Hold Me", a tongue-in-cheek duet with B.A. Robertson, remains her only other chart entry. Bell subsequently fronted a new group, Midnight Flyer, but this tough, highly underrated singer, at times redolent of Janis Joplin, has been unable to secure a distinctive career and can still be seen on the blues club circuit. Her interpretations of songs such as Free's "Wishing Well" and Lennon/McCartney's "I Saw Her Standing There" are excellent. Bell's greatest asset remains her uncompromisingly foxy voice. [ From The Encyclopedia of Popular Music by Colin Larkin. Licensed from Muze ]