Chris Bell (American musician)
| Chris Bell | |
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Chris Bell
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Christopher Branford Bell |
| Born | January 12, 1951 |
| Origin | Memphis, Tennessee, United States |
| Died | December 27, 1978 (aged 27) |
| Genres | Rock, power pop, jangle pop |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | Guitar, vocals |
| Years active | 1963–1978 |
| Associated acts | Big Star |
Christopher Branford "Chris" Bell (January 12, 1951 – December 27, 1978) was an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Along with Alex Chilton, he led the power pop band Big Star through its first acclaimed album, #1 Record (1972). He also pursued a solo career throughout the mid-1970s, resulting in the posthumous I Am the Cosmos LP.
All Music Guide praised Bell as "one of the unsung heroes of American pop music" and noted his lasting impression, saying: "Despite a life marked by tragedy and a career crippled by commercial indifference, the singer/songwriter's slim body of recorded work proved massively influential on the generations of indie rockers who emerged in his wake."
His catalog of proto-alternative rock has inspired the likes of Beck, R.E.M., Teenage Fanclub, Primal Scream, Afghan Whigs, Pete Yorn, Wilco, The Posies, and The Replacements, all of which have covered his music or name-dropped Big Star in the press.
In 2013, his life was documented in the acclaimed Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me documentary, released on Magnolia Pictures.
Prior to his more famous work in the 1970s with Alex Chilton, Bell played in a number of Memphis garage bands beginning in the 1960s. He had started playing music at age 12, influenced heavily by The Beatles and other British Invasion groups like The Yardbirds and The Who. One of Bell's early groups included Memphis natives Richard Rosebrough and Terry Manning, with whom he continued to work for the rest of his music career. Rosebrough, born on September 16, 1949, died on October 18, 2015 after a period of ill health.
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