Luke Bell (January 27, 1990 – August 26, 2022) was an American country musician and singer-songwriter. According to '' Rolling Stone'', Bell " layedclassic honky-tonk with a wink and a yodel that summons the sleeping ghosts of country better than any voodoo spell ever could".

Early life

Bell was born in

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...

, and raised in Cody, Wyoming. He attended Cody High School, graduating in 2008. Bell briefly attended college in Laramie, Wyoming, before dropping out.

Career

Debut self-titled album

Bell moved to Austin, Texas, in 2012 where he recorded his self-titled debut album. Bell also produced the entire album himself.

''Don't Mind If I Do''

Bell moved to New Orleans briefly, where he spent his time busking on the street to make money. Afterwards, he moved back to Cody, Wyoming, where he wrote and recorded his second full-length album, titled ''Don't Mind If I Do''. He wrote the album while working on a ranch, and recorded it upon receiving funding from a

Kickstarter Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...

campaign. Bell enlisted Andrija Tokic, who had worked with Caitlin Rose, Alabama Shakes, and Hurray for the Riff Raff previously, to produce the album. He recorded a Daytrotter session that same year. According to Daytrotter, the people whom Bell writes about "have bigger than life personalities" and "Bell is, without a doubt, one of the most talented country and western songwriters working ..."

Final album

After the second record era was complete, Bell moved to Nashville, Tennessee. He released his second self-titled and third and final studio album in 2016. The album was a mix of songs from his previous album and new songs. "Sometimes", a single from the album that was originally on Bell's 2014 release, received attention from both NPR Music and ''Rolling Stone''. A music video featuring

Erin Rae Erin Rae (formerly Erin Rae & the Meanwhiles) is an American folk pop band from Nashville, Tennessee. The band is led by singer Erin Rae McKaskle. According to Rolling Stone, Erin Rae "makes smooth-edged music for Sunday afternoons" and "her arr ...

Patrick Sweany Patrick Sweany (born April 26, 1974) is an American blues rock musician from Massillon, Ohio, United States. Career Patrick Sweany first gained prominence in the late 1990s as an acoustic blues guitarist and singer at many Blues Festivals around ...

, and Kristina Murray was released for the song. In late 2016, Bell released a cover of the 1971 John Lennon song " Jealous Guy".

Death

While in Tucson, Arizona, Bell disappeared on August 20, 2022, while his friend went out to eat. He was found dead in Tucson nine days later, not far from where he disappeared, aged 32. Bell suffered from severe bipolar disorder and had recently changed medication for treatment prior to his death. His family released a statement a few days later confirming his bipolar disorder contributed to his death. However, they did not give a specific cause of his death. On September 18, 2022, the Pima County Medical Examiner's Office announced that Bell had died from fentanyl intoxication on August 26.

Discography

Source(s):

Studio albums

*''Luke Bell'' (2012) *''Don't Mind If I Do'' (2014) *''Luke Bell'' (2016)

Singles

* "Where Ya Been?" (2017) * "Jealous Guy" (2021)

Music videos

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Luke 1990 births 2022 deaths 2020s missing person cases 21st-century American male singers 21st-century American singers Accidental deaths in Arizona American country singer-songwriters Country musicians from Wyoming Drug-related deaths in Arizona Formerly missing people Missing person cases in Arizona Musicians from Lexington, Kentucky People from Cody, Wyoming People with bipolar disorder Singer-songwriters from Wyoming Thirty Tigers artists