Leroy Bell
| LeRoy Bell | |
|---|---|
Bell and his band
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| Background information | |
| Born | August 8, 1951 |
| Genres | Soul, R&B, pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, record producer, musician |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, drums |
| Years active | 1978–present |
| Associated acts | Special Blend, Thom Bell, Bell and James, Only Friends |
| Website | www.leroybell.com |
| LeRoy Bell and His Friends | |
|---|---|
| Genres | Pop , R&B, Soul |
| Associated acts | Maktub |
| Website | www.leroybell.com |
| Members |
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LeRoy Bell (born August 8, 1951), at times Leroy Bell, is an American singer and songwriter. He and his friend Casey James played in Special Blend, and then went on to form their own duo Bell and James, also composing songs that were hits for other artists most notably two charting hit singles for Elton John. Later Bell became a member of the trio Only Friends. In 2011, Bell applied for the American The X Factor and was chosen for the Final 16 and went on to the live shows being mentored by Nicole Scherzinger. He was eliminated after the fifth live show finishing 8th overall in the inaugural season of the American The X Factor when he was in bottom three with Marcus Canty and Lakoda Rayne.
Bell and James was a duo soul group formed by LeRoy Bell (on drums and guitar) and Casey James (on guitar, bass and keyboards). They both had played for a while in the band Special Blend, before they decided to team up together as Bell and James. The duo released three albums: Bell and James (1978), Only Make Believe (1979) and In Black and White (1980), and had a number of singles, the most successful and well-known being "Livin' It Up (Friday Night)" released on A&M Records. It reached #15 on the U.S. Hot 100.
LeRoy also released his own EP "Spending Time" on his own label, Martez Music Group, releasing "Two Sides to Every Story" from the EP as a single.
LeRoy Bell also co-wrote many songs for others in partnership with Casey James. They were encouraged by LeRoy's uncle Thom Bell who owned Mighty Three Music, a music production company along with Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. The latter were a famous composing duo collaboration Gamble and Huff to whom Bell and James provided some of their composition.
Their songs were recorded by a number of groups including:
With Elton John
Most notably, two of the LeRoy Bell songs were recorded by Elton John. One was "Mama Can't Buy You Love" and the other "Are You Ready for Love". The songs, a LeRoy Bell-Casey James co-composition appeared in the "The Thom Bell Sessions" in 1977. Elton John's song version of "Mama Can't Buy You Love" went to the Top 10 in the general charts and #1 the Adult/Contemporary chart in the fall of 1979, earning Elton a Grammy Nomination for "Best Male R&B Vocal Performance". His song "Are You Ready for Love" was even a bigger hit.
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Wikipedia