Christopher Branford Bell (January 12, 1951December 27, 1978) was an American musician, guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Along with

Alex Chilton William Alexander Chilton (December 28, 1950 – March 17, 2010) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer best known as the lead singer of the Box Tops and Big Star. Chilton's early commercial success in the 1960s ...

, he led the

power pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, an energetic performance, and ch ...

band

Big Star Big Star was an American rock band formed in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1971 by Alex Chilton (vocals, guiar), Chris Bell (vocals, guitar), Jody Stephens (drums), and Andy Hummel (bass). The group broke up in early 1975, and reorganized with a new l ...

through its first album ''#1 Record'' (1972). He also pursued a solo career throughout the mid-1970s, resulting in the posthumous ''

I Am the Cosmos I, or i, is the ninth letter and the third vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''i'' (pronounced ), plural ...

'' LP.

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

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." Bell's catalog of proto-alternative rock has inspired the likes of

Beck Beck David Hansen (born Bek David Campbell; July 8, 1970) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to fame in the early 1990s with his Experimental music, experimental and Lo-fi music, lo-fi style, and became ...

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the first alternati ...

Teenage Fanclub Teenage Fanclub are a Scottish alternative rock band formed in Bellshill near Glasgow in 1989. The group were founded by Norman Blake (vocals, guitar), Raymond McGinley (vocals, lead guitar) and Gerard Love (vocals, bass), all of whom shared ...

Pixies A pixie (also pisky, pixy, pixi, pizkie, and piskie in Cornwall and Devon, and pigsie or puggsy in the New Forest) is a mythical creature of British folklore. Pixies are considered to be particularly concentrated in the high moorland areas aro ...

Primal Scream Primal Scream are a Scottish rock band originally formed in 1982 in Glasgow by Bobby Gillespie (vocals) and Jim Beattie. The band's current lineup consists of Gillespie, Andrew Innes (guitar), Simone Butler (bass), and Darrin Mooney (drums) ...

, Afghan Whigs,

Pete Yorn Peter Joseph Yorn (born July 27, 1974) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He first gained international recognition after his debut record, '' Musicforthemorningafter'', was released to critical and commercial acclaim in 2001. He is ...

Wilco Wilco is an American alternative rock band based in Chicago, Illinois. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo following singer Jay Farrar's departure. Wilco's lineup changed frequently dur ...

The Posies The Posies were an American power pop group. The band was formed in 1986 in Bellingham, Washington, United States, by primary songwriters Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow. Their music has its origins in Merseybeat and the Hollies. They are i ...

, and The Replacements, all of whom have covered his music or expressed their admiration for Big Star in the press. His life was documented in the acclaimed documentary '' Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me'', released in 2013 by

Magnolia Pictures Magnolia Pictures is an American film distributor. It is a subsidiary of Mark Cuban and Todd Wagner's 2929 Entertainment. Magnolia was formed in 2001 by Bill Banowsky and Eamonn Bowles, and specializes in both foreign and independent films. Mag ...

. Bell's life, and the career of Big Star, was documented in the 2018 book '' There Was a Light: The Cosmic History of Chris Bell and the Rise of Big Star''. The 400-page oral-history style bio contains rare interviews with Bell, his bandmates, friends, family and notable fans.

Early career

Before 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 The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

and other

British Invasion The British Invasion was a cultural phenomenon of the mid-1960s, when rock and pop music acts from the United Kingdom and other aspects of British culture became popular in the United States and significant to the rising "counterculture" on b ...

groups like

The Yardbirds The Yardbirds are an English rock band, formed in London in 1963. The band's core lineup featured vocalist and harmonica player Keith Relf, drummer Jim McCarty, rhythm guitarist and later bassist Chris Dreja and bassist/producer Paul Samwell ...

and

The Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...

. One of Bell's early groups included Memphis natives Richard Rosebrough and

Terry Manning Terry Manning is an American photographer, composer, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, audio engineer, and visual artist. In a career spanning more than 50 years, he has worked with Led Zeppelin, Iron Maiden, Bryan Adams, ...

, with whom he continued to work for the rest of his music career. In 1964 and 1965, Bell played lead guitar in a British Invasion-influenced group called the Jynx (the name being a pun on

The Kinks The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, north London, in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhythm ...

) with local musicians, including lead vocalist Mike Harris, rhythm guitarist David Hoback, drummer DeWitt Shy, and bassist Bill Cunningham, and later, bassist Leo Goff. Other lead vocalists at some of the group's shows and rehearsals (though not present on their recordings) included local teens Ames Yates, Vance Alexander, and

. Chilton, who attended many Jynx shows and sang lead vocals at a couple of gigs, soon joined the

Box Tops The Box Tops is an American rock band formed in Memphis in 1967. They are best known for the hits " The Letter", " Cry Like a Baby", "Choo Choo Train," and " Soul Deep" and are considered a major blue-eyed soul group of the period. They perfo ...

with Cunningham, as the Jynx split up in 1966. Bell continued to perform and record in Memphis throughout the rest of the decade, including a stint in the heavier psych-rock band Christmas Future with Terry Manning and Steve Rhea. By the late 1960s, after attending UT in Knoxville, he had turned his focus toward writing original songs, and Manning brought Bell into the studio for his first professional recordings as a session guitarist.

Big Star

The group later known as Big Star stemmed from two Bell band projects that began in the late 1960s while he recorded and performed live in groups named Icewater and Rock City. These groups featured a revolving set of musicians including

Jody Stephens Jody Stephens (born October 4, 1952) is an American drummer, who has played in Big Star (with Alex Chilton of the Box Tops) and Golden Smog (with members of the Jayhawks and Wilco). After the deaths of Chris Bell in 1978, and both Alex Chilton ...

, Terry Manning, Tom Eubanks,

Andy Hummel John Andrew Hummel (January 26, 1951 – July 19, 2010) was an American bassist and singer-songwriter best known as the bass player of Big Star.

, Richard Rosebrough, Vance Alexander, and Steve Rhea. Recordings by these groups appear on the various artists collection ''Rockin' Memphis 1960's–1970's Vol. 1'', ''Rock City'' (2003), and ''Looking Forward: The Roots of Big Star'' (2017). Bell asked Chilton to join several months after the group had started performing. Eventually, during a period of recording demos and tracks for their first album, the group settled on the name 'Big Star'. The lineup for Big Star's first album was composed of Bell (guitars/vocals), Chilton (guitars, vocals), Hummel (bass, vocals), and Stephens (drums, vocals). Bell and Chilton wrote most of the group's songs, with occasional writing contributions from Hummel and Stephens. Manning played the keyboards and several session horn players were employed. Bell was even more influenced by the music of the British Invasion than Chilton, and he steadfastly retained his Beatles-oriented pop influences throughout his career. Along with

Ardent Studios Ardent Studios is an American recording studio located in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. History Ardent Studios was founded by John Fry and were initially a studio in his family's garage, where he recorded his first 45s for the Arden ...

founder John Fry and engineer Terry Manning, Bell is credited with much of the mixing and engineering work done on the first Big Star album ''#1 Record''. After this album failed to achieve commercial success (partially due to confusion by its soul-oriented distributor

Stax Streaming API for XML (StAX) is an application programming interface ( API) to read and write XML documents, originating from the Java programming language community. Traditionally, XML APIs are either: * DOM based - the entire document is read i ...

in marketing the album), Bell left the band in 1972. He struggled with depression for the rest of his life. He also had problems with alcohol and other drugs while also becoming immersed in Christianity. According to his brother David, Bell may have left Big Star due to a belief that he was overshadowed by the more famous Chilton.

Solo work

Bell concentrated on solo work after leaving Big Star, recording demos at

and Shoe Recording in Memphis with old friends including Rosebrough, Manning, Cunningham, Ken Woodley, and occasionally Chilton and

Jim Dickinson James Luther Dickinson (November 15, 1941 – August 15, 2009) was an American record producer, pianist, and singer who fronted, among others, the band Mud Boy and the Neutrons, based in Memphis, Tennessee. Biography Dickinson was born in Lit ...

. One of Bell's better known solo songs from this period is "

You and Your Sister "You and Your Sister" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Chris Bell (musician), Chris Bell, that appears on his only solo album ''I Am the Cosmos''. It was released as a B-side to Bell's only single "I Am the Cosmos." Comparisons have bee ...

", featuring Bell's guitar work and vocals, Chilton's backing vocal, and Cunningham's string arrangements and bass work. From 1975 to 1976, Bell co-produced recording sessions for the power pop group

Prix Prix was an American power pop band formed in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1975 by Tommy Hoehn and Jon Tiven. The group ended up primarily as a studio project. Its recordings were produced by Tiven along with former Big Star member Chris Bell, who als ...

, and contributed guitar and backing vocals. Bell also played in groups with local songwriter Keith Sykes, as well as the Baker Street Regulars with Van Duren and Jody Stephens in 1976. During the late 1970s, a few of Bell's pop song lyrics began to reflect the influence of his interest in Christian spirituality. Although he released "I Am the Cosmos" backed with "You and Your Sister" as a single in 1978 on

Chris Stamey Christopher Charles Stamey (born December 6, 1954) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. After a brief time playing with Alex Chilton, as well as Mitch Easter under the name Sneakers, Stamey formed The dB's with Peter ...

's Car Records label, none of his solo material was released on a full-length album during his lifetime. At this time, Bell worked at his father's restaurant and continued to grapple with clinical depression. Almost 14 years after his death, the songs from his Car Records single and several of his other 1970s recordings were released on 1992's ''

'' full-length CD on

Rykodisc Rykodisc is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, operating as a unit of WMG's Independent Label Group and is distributed through Alternative Distribution Alliance. History Claiming to be the first Compact Disc, CD-only independ ...

. As with his work with Big Star, the album received highly favorable critical reviews. Giving the album an "A−",

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

wrote that it was "clear from Bell's very posthumous solo album . . . that Big Star was his idea." In 2009, ''I Am the Cosmos'' was re-released in as a deluxe two-CD version by

Rhino Handmade Rhino Entertainment Company is an American specialty record label and production company founded in 1978. It is currently the catalog division for Warner Music Group. Its current CEO is Mark Pinkus. History Founded in 1978, Rhino was originall ...

with lengthy liner notes, alternate versions, and additional tracks.

Death

Bell died on December 27, 1978, when he lost control of his

Triumph TR7 The Triumph TR7 is a sports car manufactured in the United Kingdom from September 1974 to October 1981 by British Leyland Motor Corporation (BLMC), which changed its name to British Leyland (BL) in 1975. The car was launched in the United State ...

sports car, sometime after 1:00a.m. He was on his way home from a band rehearsal. The car struck a wooden light pole on the side of the road. The pole fell and killed him instantly. He was 27. His funeral was held the next day, December 28, the birthday of former bandmate Alex Chilton.

Influence

Bell's music and that of Big Star became popular with alternative rock musicians in the 1980s through word of mouth. Eventually, well-known artists including R.E.M., Ian Moore,

, and The Replacements began touting the recordings of Big Star as significant works.

This Mortal Coil This Mortal Coil were a British music collective led by Ivo Watts-Russell, founder of the British record label 4AD. Although Watts-Russell and John Fryer were the only two official members, the band's recorded output featured a large rotating ...

, which had earlier recorded versions of post-Chris Bell Big Star songs, recorded versions of "I Am the Cosmos" and "

" on their 1991 album ''Blood''. In 1992,

released a 7" single featuring "Feel"/"I Am the Cosmos" on Pop Llama. Big Star's pop song " In the Street", which had featured the tight harmonies of Bell and Chilton, was chosen as a representative song of the 1970s decade by the producers of the television show ''

That '70s Show ''That '70s Show'' is an American television Period piece, period teen sitcom that aired on Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox from August 23, 1998, to May 18, 2006. The series focuses on the lives of a group of six teenage friends living in the ficti ...

'' in 1998; though the Big Star recording of the song was never featured, two different covers of the song were used over the series' run as the theme song to the opening credits. The second, recorded by

Cheap Trick Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973 by guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson, lead vocalist Robin Zander and drummer Bun E. Carlos. The current lineup of the band consists of Zander, Nielsen and ...

in 1999, with revised lyrics, was also included on ''That '70s Show Presents That '70s Album: Rockin'.'' Later, Bell's song "Speed of Sound" appeared on the Flaming Lips album '' Late Night Tales: The Flaming Lips''. Bell's version of "Speed of Sound" is heard over the opening credits to the film ''

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist ''Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist'' is a 2008 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Peter Sollett and starring Michael Cera and Kat Dennings. Written by Lorene Scafaria and based on the novel of the same name by Rachel Cohn and Davi ...

''.

covers "I Am the Cosmos" in concert. Bell's song "There Was a Light" was used in the soundtrack to the

Patriot (TV series) ''Patriot'' is an American comedy-drama television series created by Steven Conrad. It premiered on November 5, 2015, on Amazon Prime Video, with the remaining first-season episodes released on February 23, 2017. It stars Michael Dorman, Kurtw ...

2018 episode "Loaded."

Discography

;The Jynx EPs * ''Greatest Hits!'' – (Norton Records, 10-inch vinyl EP, 2000) TED-1003 ;Icewater and Rock City LPs *''Rock City'' – (Lucky Seven Records CD, 2003) CD 9209 *''Looking Forward: The Roots of Big Star'' – (Omnivore Recordings, 2017) ;Big Star LPs ft. Chris Bell *'' #1 Record'' – (

Ardent Records Ardent Records is an American record label based in Memphis, which was founded by John Fry in 1959. Ardent of the 1960s and 1970s featured pop music acts and was distributed by Stax Records from 1972 until 1975. It is best remembered today for Bi ...

LP, 1972) ADS-2803 ;Big Star singles ft. Chris Bell *''"Don't Lie to Me" / "Watch the Sunrise"'' (Ardent, 1972) ADA-2904 *''"Thirteen" / "Watch The Sunrise"'' (Ardent, 1972) (Promo, mislabeled: reads "Don't Lie to Me" but plays "Thirteen".) ADA-2904 *''" In the Street" / "When My Baby's Beside Me"'' (Ardent, 1972) ADA-2902 *''"Feel (alternate mix)" / "Mod Lang (unissued single mix)"'' (Rhino, 2009) R7 521272 ;Chris Bell solo LPs * ''

'' – (Rykodisc CASS/CD, 1992) RCD 10222 * ''I Am the Cosmos'' – (Four Men with Beard, vinyl LP, 2006) 4M 143 * ''I Am the Cosmos - Deluxe Edition'' – (Rhino Handmade 2CD, 2009) RHM2 521305 * ''I Am the Cosmos'' - (Omnivore Recordings LP, 2017) OVLP-231 * ''I Am the Cosmos - Deluxe Edition'' – (Omnivore Recordings 2CD, 2017) OVCD-231 ;Chris Bell solo singles *"I Am the Cosmos"/"

" – (Car Records single, 1978) CRR6 *"Country Morn" – (Back of Car zine, 6-inch promo flexi-disc, 1995) *"I Am the Cosmos"/"You and Your Sister" – (Rhino/Car, limited w/ CD, 2009) PR7 521384 ;Big Star compilations *''A Little Big Star'' (Rykodisc, 1992) – promo sampler *''Biggest'' (Line Records, 1994) *''The Best of'' (Ace Records, 1999) *''Big Star Story'' (Rykodisc, 2003) *''Keep an Eye on the Sky'' (Rhino, 2009) – box set *''Nothing Can Hurt Me'' (Omnivore Recordings, 2013) – film soundtrack *''Playlist (1972-2005)'' (Legacy Recordings, 2013) *''Thank You Friends: The Music of Big Star, Alex Chilton, and Chris Bell'' (Omnivore Recordings promo CD, 2013) ; Big Star EPs w/ Chris Bell *''Jesus Christ'' (Omnivore Recordings, 2015) - 10", Limited Edition – OVS10-153 ;Various Artists compilations *''D.I.Y.: Come Out and Play - American Power Pop (1975-78)'' - "I Am the Cosmos" – (Rhino Records CD, 1993) *''Oxford American: 2003 Southern Music CD No. 6'' – "You and Your Sister" – (

Oxford American The ''Oxford American'' is a quarterly magazine that focuses on the American South. First publication The magazine was begun in late 1989 in Oxford, Mississippi, by Marc Smirnoff (born July 11, 1963). The name "Oxford American" is a play on ''T ...

promo CD, 2003) *''Rockin' Memphis: 1960s–1970s, Volume 1'' – (Lucky Seven Records CD, 2003) *''Garage Beat '66, Vol. 2: Chicks Are for Kids!'' – (Sundazed Music CD, 2004) *''Thank You Friends: The Ardent Records Story'' – (Big Beat CD, April 2008) *''Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist: Music from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack'' – (Atlantic, 2008) ; Appears on *''Freaks of Nature'' (film) - "My Life is Right" (Big Star) featured in film – (Columbia Pictures, 2015) ;Chris Bell guest spots as guitarist *Terry Manning ''Home Sweet Home'' (Enterprise, 1970) *

Tommy Hoehn Thomas Forbes Hoehn Jr. (November 2, 1954June 24, 2010) was an American singer, songwriter, keyboard player, and guitarist. Along with Jon Tiven, he led the Memphis power pop group Prix before embarking on a solo career. He also provided backing ...

''Blow Yourself Up'' / ''Love You All Day'' single (Power Play, 1977)

Filmography

*''Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me'' (2013, Magnolia Pictures)

Bibliography

*''There Was a Light: The Cosmic History of Chris Bell and the Rise of Big Star'' (Winter 2017, HoZac Books) *''Big Star: The Story of Rock's Forgotten Band'' (2005/2013 updated, Chicago Review Press/Harper Collins UK)

References

Notes

Sources

* Ankeny, Jason. "Big Star Biography".''AllMusic.com'' Accessed April 28, 2005. * Bell, David (1992). "Liner notes". ''Chris Bell: I am the Cosmos''. Salem, Massachusetts: Rykodisc Records. * Boldman, Gina. That '70s Show Presents That '70s Album: Rockin' review".''AllMusic.com''. Accessed June 20, 2005.
"Box Tops Biographies".
''Box Tops official website''. Accessed June 19, 2005. * Clark, Rick (1992). "Liner notes". ''Big Star: #1 Record/Radio City double CD''. Memphis: Ardent Records. * Cost, Bud (2000). "Liner notes". ''The Letter/Neon Rainbow CD''. Coxsackie, New York: Sundazed Music. * Gordon, Robert (1995). ''It Came from Memphis''. New York: Pocket Books. . * Gross, Jason (July 2001)

''Perfect Sound Forever''. Accessed June 19, 2005.

''Box Tops official website''. Accessed June 19, 2005. * Jovanovic, Rob (2004). ''Big Star: The Story of Rock's Forgotten Band''. London: Fourth Estate. .

''Box Tops official website''. Accessed June 19, 2005. * Manning, Terry. "Liner notes". ''Rock City''. Nassau: Lucky Seven Records.
"''Rock City'' and ''Rockin' Memphis'' album descriptions".
''Lucky Seven Records website''. Accessed June 30, 2005. * Rosen, Craig (August 16, 1999)
"Cheap Trick Does Big Star for 'That '70s Show.'"
''Cheap Trick News on Yahoo! Music''. Accessed May 12, 2005. * Stern, Theresa (December 22, 1996)
"Interview: Jody Stephens".
''Perfect Sound Forever.'' Accessed June 19, 2005. * Mehr, Bo

External links

The Unofficial Big Star HomepageJudith Beeman's Back of a Car Big Star zine site
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20110809014157/http://boxtops.com/jynx.htm Photos of Chris Bell performing in the Jynxbr>Norton Records listing for ''Greatest Hits!'' 4-song EP by the JynxBig Star (Rykodisc site)
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Chris 1951 births 1978 deaths American people of English descent American child singers American male singer-songwriters American rock guitarists American male guitarists American rock singers American rock songwriters Big Star members Musicians from Memphis, Tennessee Road incident deaths in Tennessee People from Germantown, Tennessee 20th-century American singers Power pop musicians Guitarists from Tennessee 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American male singers Singer-songwriters from Tennessee