LeRoy Bell (born August 8, 1951) 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 Bell and James were an American soul group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania formed by LeRoy Bell (drums, guitar) and Casey James (guitar, bass, keyboards). Career Both LeRoy Bell and Casey James had played in Special Blend before beginning to wr ...

, also composing songs that were hits for other artists most notably two charting hit singles for

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

. Later Bell became a member of the trio Only Friends. In 2011, Bell applied for the American ''

The X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...

'' and was chosen for the Final 16 and went on to the live shows being mentored by

Nicole Scherzinger Nicole Scherzinger (; born Nicole Prascovia Elikolani Valiente, June 29, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and television personality. She is best known as the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls, one of the list of best-se ...

. 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.

Background

LeRoy Martez Bell was born in Florida on August 8, 1951. He is a son of Leroy and Janice Marie (Zaragoza) Bell. His father is the half-brother of music producer

Thom Bell Thomas Randolph Bell (January 27th, 1943 – December 22, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter, record producer, arranger, pianist, and composer known as one of the creators of Philadelphia soul in the 1970s. He found success as a produce ...

. As a military family, they moved frequently, until settling in Tacoma, Washington in 1965.

Bell and James

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 A&M Records was an American record label founded as an independent company by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss in 1962. Due to the success of the discography A&M released, the label garnered interest and was acquired by PolyGram in 1989 and began distr ...

. It reached #15 on the

U.S. Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming in ...

. 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.

Songwriting

LeRoy Bell also co-wrote many songs for others in partnership with Casey James. They were encouraged by LeRoy's uncle

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 Kenneth Gamble (born August 11, 1943, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) and Leon A. Huff (born April 8, 1942, Camden, New Jersey) are an American songwriting and production team credited for developing the Philadelphia soul music genre (also known as ...

to whom Bell and James provided some of their compositions. Their songs were recorded by a number of artists including: * The Spinners *

The O'Jays The O'Jays are an American R&B group from Canton, Ohio, formed in 1958 and originally consisting of Eddie Levert, Walter Lee Williams, William Powell, Bobby Massey, and Bill Isles. The O'Jays made their first chart appearance with the minor h ...

(notably in " This Time Baby") *

The Temptations The Temptations are an American vocal group from Detroit, Michigan, who released a series of successful singles and albums with Motown Records during the 1960s and 1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield, beginning with the Top ...

Rita Marley Rita may refer to: People * Rita (given name) Rita is a female given name, often a name in its own right, but mostly a shortened version of Margarita. The feast day of Rita is generally celebrated on May 22 in honor of Saint Rita of Cascia. Th ...

Gladys Knight & the Pips Gladys Knight & the Pips were an American R&B, soul and funk family music group from Atlanta, Georgia, that remained active on the music charts and performing circuit for over three decades starting from the early 1950s. Starting out as simpl ...

* Freda Payne * The Three Degrees With Elton John
Most notably, two of the LeRoy Bell songs were recorded by

. One was " Mama Can't Buy You Love" and the other " Are You Ready for Love". The songs, LeRoy Bell-Casey James co-compositions, appeared in "

The Thom Bell Sessions ''The Thom Bell Sessions'' (internationally titled as ''The Thom Bell Sessions '77'') is an EP recorded by Elton John in the second half of 1977, but was not released by MCA Records until June 1979. The project was a departure for John, and h ...

" in 1977. Elton John's version of "Mama Can't Buy You Love" went to the Top 10 in the general charts and #1 on 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" did not chart. Track list of Elton John single: *Side 1: "Are You Ready for Love" (LeRoy Bell, Thom Bell, Casey James) (8:31) *Side 2.1: "Three Way Love Affair" (LeRoy Bell, Casey James) (5:31) *Side 2.2: "Mama Can't Buy You Love" (LeRoy Bell, Casey James) (4:03) In February 1989, The Complete Thom Bell Sessions was released by

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group. Pre-history MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 wi ...

, although it had been recorded in 1977. In addition to "Mama Can't Buy You Love" and "Are You Ready for Love", it featured three additional songs, including "Country Love Song" also co-written by LeRoy Bell. *1. "Nice and Slow" (Elton John, Bernie Taupin, Thom Bell) *2. "Country Love Song" (LeRoy Bell, Casey James) *3. "Shine on Through" (Elton John, G. Osborne) *4. "Mama Can't Buy You Love" (LeRoy Bell, Casey James) *5. "Are You Ready for Love" (LeRoy Bell, Casey James) *6. "Three Way Love Affair" (LeRoy Bell, Casey James) In 2003, Fat Boy Slim mixed Elton John's single version making it to the British Singles Chart. The song also charted in many European charts. With Teddy Pendergrass
LeRoy Bell had a long-running cooperation with

Teddy Pendergrass Theodore DeReese Pendergrass (March 26, 1950 – January 13, 2010) was an American soul and R&B singer-songwriter. He was born in Kingstree, South Carolina. Pendergrass spent most of his life in the Philadelphia area, and initially rose to musi ...

for whom he wrote 5 songs in three different albums: *1979: "I'll Never See Heaven Again" on the album '' Teddy'' *1979: "Set Me Free", also on album ''Teddy'' *1982: "Loving You Was Good" on album '' This One's for You'' *1983: "Heaven Only Knows" from the album '' Heaven Only Knows (lead song) Pendergrass album *1990: "Glad to Be Alive" from the album ''

Truly Blessed ''Truly Blessed'' is the eleventh studio album by R&B singer Teddy Pendergrass, released in March 1991 on the Elektra label. The single was written by Gabriel S. Hardeman Jr, Annette Guest Hardeman, and G Syier Hawkins Brown. Co Produced by Tedd ...

'' Others: *1979:

Lou Rawls Louis Allen Rawls (December 1, 1933 – January 6, 2006) was an American record producer, singer, composer and actor. Rawls released more than 60 albums, sold more than 40 million records, and had numerous charting singles, most notably his s ...

: "Bark, Bite (Fight All Night)" on the album '' Let Me Be Good to You'' *1980: Lou Rawls: "Heartache (Just When You Think You're Loved)" and "You Are" on album ''

Sit Down and Talk to Me ''Sit Down and Talk to Me'' is a 1980 album by American R&B singer Lou Rawls, released on the Philadelphia International Records label. All of PIR's major production names contributed to the album, resulting in a diverse set of tracks from danc ...

'' *1988: Kimiko Kasai: "Love Talk" from album ''Love Talk'' (lead song) *2001: Me and You: "You Never Know What You Got (Til It's Gone)" *2002: Jennifer Lopez: "Still" cowritten with James and Jennifer Lopez herself in the latter's album '' This Is Me... Then''. *2005: The

Freemasons Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

: " Love on My Mind" that appears on albums '' Shakedown'', '' Unmixed'' and ''

Shakedown 2 ''Shakedown 2'' is a compilation album by the Freemasons Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifi ...

'' *He has also written for

Phyllis Hyman Phyllis Linda Hyman (July 6, 1949 – June 30, 1995) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Hyman is best known for her music during the late 1970s through the early 1990s, some of her most notable songs were "You Know How to Love Me" ...

Solo career

Starting in the 2000s, he worked solo and toured extensively. In the process, he released various albums including his debut solo EP ''Spending Time'' (on his own label Martez Music Group), followed by ''Two Sides to Every Story'' in 2006, ''A Change Is Coming'' in 2008 and ''Traces'' in 2010. In 2011, he was part of a project ''United in Song'' affiliated to USA For AfricaUSA for Africa website
/ref> to bring the best in World Music to celebrate peace and unity. The project included

Angelique Kidjo Angelique or Angélique may refer to: * Angélique (given name), a French feminine name Arts and entertainment Music * Angélique (instrument), a string instrument of the lute family * ''Angélique'', a 1927 opéra bouffe by Jacques Ibert ...

, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Aurelio Martinez with

Youssou N'Dour Youssou N'Dour (, wo, Yuusu Nduur; also known as Youssou Madjiguène Ndour; born 1 October 1959) is a Senegalese singer, songwriter, musician, composer, occasional actor, businessman, and politician. In 2004, ''Rolling Stone'' magazine describe ...

, Lila Downs, Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars, Razia Said, Abigail Washburn & the Shanghai Restoration Project, Luisa Maita, G Love & Special Sauce, and Vieux Farka Toure and LeRoy Bell contributing tracks to ''United in Song''

LeRoy Bell and His Only Friends

LeRoy Bell also formed his band Only Friends as LeRoy Bell and His Only Friends, featuring Terry Morgan on bass and Davis Martin on drums. Both are experience musicians. Morgan had played with Dee Daniels, Pat Wright & The Total Experience Gospel Choir, Dave Lewis, Thelma Houston and others, whereas Martin was previously a member of the band Maktub.

''The X Factor''

In 2011, he applied for the American version of ''

'', singing the song " Lean on Me" at his audition. Becoming one of the Top 32, he performed in Judges House

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

's "

Make You Feel My Love "Make You Feel My Love", also known as "To Make You Feel My Love" is a song written by Bob Dylan for his album '' Time Out of Mind'', released in September 1997. It was first released commercially in August 1997 by Billy Joel for his compilation ...

" in front of

Enrique Iglesias Enrique Miguel Iglesias Preysler (; (born 8 May 1975) is a Spanish singer and songwriter. He started his recording career in the mid-1990s on the Mexican indie label Fonovisa and became the bestselling Spanish-language act of the decade. By th ...

and mentor

becoming one of the finalists (final 16), qualifying for the live shows in the over 30s category mentored by Scherzinger. During the live shows, he had the following performances:

Performances and results

On November 22, 2011, he was voted bottom three by public vote and had to sing for survival against Marcus Canty. He chose to sing

The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developm ...

song " Don't Let Me Down". The result went to deadlock and the public vote revealed Bell had received the fewer votes and accordingly was eliminated after Live Show 5 finishing 8th overall in competition.

Discography

Albums

As part of Bell and James

*1978: ''Bell and James'' *1979: ''Only Make Believe'' *1980: ''In Black and White''

With others

*2020: ''Stony Hill'' with G.E. Smith

Solo

*2004: ''Spending Time'' (EP) (on his own label Martez Music Group) *2006: ''Two Sides to Every Story'' *2008: ''A Change Is Coming'' *2010: ''Traces''

As LeRoy Bell and His Only Friends

*2007: ''Live in 3D'' *2013: ''Rock 'N Soul''

Singles

As part of Bell and James

*1979: ''Livin' It Up (Friday Night)'' *1979: ''Shakedown'' *1979: ''You Never Know What You've Got'' *1980: ''Only Make Believe''

Solo

*''Two Sides to Every Story''

Featuring

*2013: ''Miss Me'' with Paolo Noise

References

External links

LeRoy Bell Official websiteLeRoy Bell TwitterLeRoy Bell YouTubeLeRoy and His Only Friends Facebook
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Leroy 1951 births Living people American multi-instrumentalists 20th-century American singers 21st-century American singers 20th-century African-American male singers The X Factor (American TV series) contestants 20th-century American guitarists 21st-century American guitarists 20th-century American drummers American male drummers 21st-century American drummers American male guitarists 20th-century American male singers 21st-century American male singers African-American guitarists 21st-century African-American male singers Musicians from Florida