Margaret Bell (born 12 January 1945 in

Maryhill Maryhill ( gd, Cnoc Màiri) is an area of the City of Glasgow in Scotland. Maryhill is a former burgh. Maryhill stretches over along Maryhill Road. The far north west of the area is served by Maryhill railway station. History Hew Hill, t ...

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, Scotland) is a Scottish rock vocalist. She came to fame as co-lead vocalist of the blues-rock group

Stone the Crows Stone the Crows were a Scottish blues rock band formed in Glasgow in late 1969. They are remembered for the onstage electrocution of guitarist and founding member Les Harvey. History The band were formed after Maggie Bell was introduced to L ...

, and was described as the UK's closest counterpart to American singer

Janis Joplin Janis Lyn Joplin (January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970) was an American singer and musician. One of the most successful and widely known Rock music, rock stars of her era, she was noted for her powerful mezzo-soprano vocals and "electric" stage ...

. Bell was also prominently featured as a guest vocalist on the song "

Every Picture Tells a Story ''Every Picture Tells a Story'' is the third studio album by Rod Stewart. It was released on 28 May 1971. It incorporates hard rock, folk, and blues styles. It went to number one on both the UK and US charts and finished third in the Jazz & Pop ...

" (1971) by

Rod Stewart Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British rock and pop singer and songwriter. Born and raised in London, he is of Scottish and English ancestry. With his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the best-selling ...

Early career

From a musical family, she sang from her teenage years, leaving school at the age of fifteen, to work as a window dresser by day and singer at night. Bell was introduced to

Leslie Harvey Leslie Cameron Harvey (13 September 1944 – 3 May 1972) was a Scottish guitarist in several bands of the late 1960s and early 1970s, most notably Stone the Crows. He was the brother of Alex Harvey. Biography Harvey was born in Govan, Gla ...

, by his older brother

Alex Alex is a given name. It can refer to a shortened version of Alexander, Alexandra, Alexis. People Multiple *Alex Brown (disambiguation), multiple people * Alex Gordon (disambiguation), multiple people *Alex Harris (disambiguation), multiple pe ...

, after getting up on stage to sing with the latter. Leslie Harvey was, at that time, a guitarist with the Kinning Park Ramblers. Bell joined the group as one of the vocalists. After the band split up, Bell moved to the Mecca Band at the

Sauchiehall Street Sauchiehall Street () is one of the main shopping streets in the Glasgow city centre, city centre of Glasgow, Scotland, along with Buchanan Street and Argyle Street, Glasgow, Argyle Street. Although commonly associated with the city centre, Sau ...

Locarno, and later to the

Dennistoun Dennistoun is a mostly residential district in Glasgow, Scotland, located north of the River Clyde and in the city's east end, about east of the city centre. Since 2017 it has formed the core of a Dennistoun ward under Glasgow City Council, ...

Palais Band.

Power/Stone the Crows

She then rejoined Harvey, forming Power initially known as The Power of Music and eventually The Power. Bell and The Power regularly performed at The Easterhouse Project, run by Archie Hind and Graeme Noble. They also toured

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

bases in Germany in the mid 1960s. Peter Grant, who was managing

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 ...

at the time, heard Power playing at one of these bases and agreed to produce and manage them, impressed by the vocal ability of Bell and the guitar playing of Harvey. Power was then renamed as

, an expression used by Grant upon hearing this band.

First solo album

Stone the Crows split up in 1973, after Leslie Harvey's accidental death from

electrocution Electrocution is death or severe injury caused by electric shock from electric current passing through the body. The word is derived from "electro" and "execution", but it is also used for accidental death. The term "electrocution" was coined ...

on 3 May 1972. Harvey had been an integral part of the band and its music. Peter Grant remained as Bell's manager after the split, and along with

Mark London Mark London (born 30 January 1940) is a Canadian-born British soundtrack composer, songwriter and music producer. He is perhaps best known as composer of the song "To Sir with Love". History Mark London was born in Montreal, Quebec, and initial ...

offered to help Bell record a solo album. She subsequently recorded two further albums for

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

, one produced by

Felix Pappalardi Felix A. Pappalardi Jr. (December 30, 1939 – April 17, 1983) was an American music producer, songwriter, vocalist, and bassist. He is best known as the bassist and co-lead vocalist of the band Mountain, whose song "Mississippi Queen" peaked at ...

and the other produced by

Felix Cavaliere Felix Cavaliere (born November 29, 1942) is an American musician and singer-songwriter. He is best known for being the lead vocalist and keyboard player for the Young Rascals. Although he was a member of Joey Dee and the Starliters, known for ...

. Neither has yet been released. Grant then oversaw her first solo album release ''Queen of the Night'' (1974), which was recorded in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

with record producer

Jerry Wexler Jerry may refer to: Animals * Jerry (Grand National winner), racehorse, winner of the 1840 Grand National * Jerry (St Leger winner), racehorse, winner of 1824 St Leger Stakes Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Jerry'' (film), a 2006 Indian fil ...

Swan Song and Midnight Flyer

Bell signed to the then newly formed

Swan Song Records Swan Song Records was a record label launched by the English rock band Led Zeppelin on 10 May 1974. It was overseen by Led Zeppelin's manager Peter Grant and was a vehicle for the band to promote its own products as well as sign artists who f ...

in 1974, along with

Bad Company Bad Company are an English rock supergroup that was formed in 1973 by singer Paul Rodgers, guitarist Mick Ralphs, drummer Simon Kirke and bassist Boz Burrell.Bad Company ''AllMusic'' Peter Grant, who managed the rock band Led Zeppelin, also ...

and

Pretty Things The Pretty Things were an English band formed in September 1963 in Sidcup, Kent. They took their name from Willie Dixon's 1955 song "Pretty Thing". A pure rhythm and blues band in their early years, with several singles charting in the Unit ...

, as one of the first signings to the label.

Jimmy Page James Patrick Page (born 9 January 1944) is an English musician who achieved international success as the guitarist and founder of the rock band Led Zeppelin. Page is prolific in creating guitar riffs. His style involves various alternative ...

contributed to her second album ''Suicide Sal'' (1975). Bell then tried to capture past

blues rock Blues rock is a fusion music genre that combines elements of blues and rock music. It is mostly an electric ensemble-style music with instrumentation similar to electric blues and rock (electric guitar, electric bass guitar, and drums, sometimes w ...

glories by fronting Midnight Flyer, who were a popular live act but their sole eponymous album released in 1981 was not a commercial success.

Solo again and B. A. Robertson

Returning to a solo career, she had her biggest

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

in the UK in 1981

duetting A duet is a musical composition for two performers in which the performers have equal importance to the piece, often a composition involving two singers or two pianists. It differs from a harmony, as the performers take turns performing a solo s ...

with

B. A. Robertson Brian Alexander Robertson (born 12 September 1956) is a Scottish musician, composer and songwriter. He had a string of hits in the late 1970s and early 1980s characterised by catchy pop tunes and jaunty humorous lyrics, including " Knocked It ...

on a

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

of " Hold Me" which reached No. 11 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. Bell also performed at many charity gigs during this period.

Television

While working with Stone the Crows, Bell was the subject of a BBC documentary in the 1972 ''Sounding Out'' series. Bell sang the end credits theme for the late 1970s

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

detective drama '' Hazell'', with lyrics written by Judy Forrest and music by Andy Mackay. Her song "No Mean City", written by Mike Moran, was the

theme music Theme music is a musical composition that is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at so ...

to the TV crime drama ''

Taggart ''Taggart'' is a Scottish detective fiction television programme created by Glenn Chandler, who wrote many of the episodes, and made by STV Studios for the ITV network. It originally ran as the miniseries "Killer" from 6 until 20 Septembe ...

''. She also appeared in a single episode of ''Taggart'' called "Evil Eye" in 1990, playing a gypsy fortune teller named Effie Lambie who is murdered early in the episode. In 1990 she appeared in four episodes of the BBC drama series '' Your Cheatin’ Heart''. In 2009 she provided the singing voice of rock singer Esme Ford (played by

Joanna Lumley Dame Joanna Lamond Lumley (born 1 May 1946) is an English actress, presenter, former model, author, television producer, and activist. She has won two BAFTA TV Awards for her role as Patsy Stone in the BBC sitcom ''Absolutely Fabulous'' (1992 ...

) in the episode "Counter Culture Blues" of the

series ''

Lewis Lewis may refer to: Names * Lewis (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Lewis (surname), including a list of people with the surname Music * Lewis (musician), Canadian singer * "Lewis (Mistreated)", a song by Radiohead ...

''.

Netherlands and The British Blues Quintet

After living in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

for twenty years, Bell returned to the UK in early 2006 and joined

The British Blues Quintet The British Blues Quintet were a British band formed in 2006 by five musicians, known for their interpretations of blues music. The line-up included keyboardist and singer Zoot Money, drummer Colin Allen, vocalist Maggie Bell, bassist Colin Hodg ...

, sharing lead vocals with

Zoot Money George Bruno Money (born 17 July 1942) is an English vocalist, keyboardist and bandleader. He is best known for his playing of the Hammond organ and association with his Big Roll Band. Inspired by Jerry Lee Lewis and Ray Charles, he was drawn ...

. Also featuring former Stone The Crows drummer

Colin Allen Colin Eric Allen (born 9 May 1938) is an English blues drummer and songwriter. Career Allen spent the first ten years of his adult life working in aircraft engineering. He became interested in jazz at the age of 16 and two years later started ...

and bassist

Colin Hodgkinson Colin Hodgkinson (born 14 October 1945, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England) is a British rock, jazz and blues bassist, who has been active since the 1960s. Career Hodgkinson played in several bands, but was even more prolific as a sessio ...

, the band quickly became established on the UK and European live blues circuit. Their debut album, '' Live in Glasgow'' (2007), was recorded at one of their first gigs, on Glasgow's Renfrew Ferry in 2006. In addition, Bell toured with

Chris Farlowe Chris Farlowe (born John Henry Deighton, 13 October 1940) is an English rock, blues and soul singer. He is best known for his hit single " Out of Time" written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, which rose to No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart in 19 ...

in the autumn of 2006 and

The Manfreds The Manfreds is a British pop group, formed in 1991 as a reunion of former members of the 1960s pop group Manfred Mann, however without their eponymous founder Manfred Mann. History The original members of Manfred Mann, minus keyboard player Ma ...

during 2006 and 2008. In January 2016, the Hamburg Blues Band featuring Maggie Bell and

Krissy Matthews Krissy Matthews (born 25 May 1992) is a British-Norwegian blues rock singer-songwriter and guitarist. He had released three albums by the age of 18. His most recent and fifth album, ''Scenes From a Moving Window'', was released by Promise Recor ...

, performed at the Quasimodo Club

in Berlin ''In Berlin'' is a live album and the debut release of English post-punk band Blurt. It was recorded live at the Rock Against Junk concert in Berlin, Germany on 13 December 1980, and released the following year, through record label Armageddon. I ...

, Germany.

Discography

With Stone the Crows (1968–1973)

*''

'' (1970) *''

Ode to John Law ''Ode to John Law'' is the second studio album by Scottish band Stone the Crows. Track listing Personnel ;Stone the Crows *Colin Allen – drums, percussion *Maggie Bell – vocals *Jimmy Dewar – bass, vocals *Les Harvey – acoustic ...

'' (1970) *''Teenage Licks'' (1971) *''Ontinuous Performance'' (1972) *''BBC Radio 1 1971/72'' (1998) *''Coming On Strong'' (2004, also solo recordings)

Solo

*Two singles with Bobby Kerr as "Frankie and Johnny" (1966) *''Queen of the Night'' (1974) *''Suicide Sal'' (1975) *''Great Rock Sensation'' (1977, compilation) *''Crimes of the Heart'' (1988) *''Live at the Rainbow, 1974'' (2002) *''Live in Boston, USA, 1975'' (2002) *''Coming on Strong'' (2004, also with Stone The Crows) *''The River Sessions, Live in Glasgow 1993'' (2004) with

Ronnie Caryl Ronnie may refer to: * Ronnie (name), a unisex pet name and given name * "Ronnie" (Four Seasons song), a song by Bob Gaudio and Bob Crewe *"Ronnie," a song from the Metallica album '' Load'' *Ronnie Brunswijkstadion, an association football stadiu ...

, Paul Francis Bass *''Sound & Vision – Best of Maggie Bell'' (2008, compilation)

With Midnight Flyer

*''Midnight Flyer'' (1981, re-release: Angel Air SJPCD 198, 2005) *''Live at Montreux 1981'' (2007, CD/DVD)

With The British Blues Quintet

* '' Live at the Ferry'' (2007)

With Jon Lord Blues Project

* ''

Jon Lord Blues Project Live Jon is a shortened form of the common given name Jonathan, derived from "YHWH has given", and an alternate spelling of John, derived from "YHWH has pardoned".US

*"Hazell" – 1978 – Number 37 UK –

*"Hold Me" – 1981 –

and Maggie Bell – Number 11 UK – Swan Song Records *"Everlasting Love" - 1987 -

President Records President Records is a British independent record label. It is one of the oldest independent record companies in the UK, originally launched in 1957 by Edward Kassner. During the 1960s and 1970s the label, and its subsidiary Jay Boy, had hits ...

Guest appearances

*'' It Ain't Easy'',

Long John Baldry John William "Long John" Baldry (12 January 1941 – 21 July 2005) was an English musician and actor. In the 1960s, he was one of the first British vocalists to sing the blues in clubs and shared the stage with many British musicians including t ...

(accompanying vocal on duet "Black Girl"), 1971 *''

'',

, 1971 *''

Tommy Tommy may refer to: People * Tommy (given name) * Tommy Atkins, or just Tommy, a slang term for a common soldier in the British Army Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Tommy'' (1931 film), a Soviet drama film * ''Tommy'' (1975 fil ...

'', guest singer with

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 ...

London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's orchestras, symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's ...

and Chambre Choir, 1972 *'' Banana Moon'',

Daevid Allen Christopher David Allen (13 January 1938 – 13 March 2015), known professionally as Daevid Allen, sometimes credited as Divided Alien, was an Australian musician. He was co-founder of the psychedelic rock groups Soft Machine (in the UK, 1966) ...

, 1971 *''Brian Joseph Friel'', Brian Joseph Friel, 1973 *''Arrivederci Ardrossan'', Brian Joseph Friel, 1975 *''

Hometown Girls Hometown Girls may refer to: * Hometown Girls (album), a 1985 album by Denny Laine * Hometown Girls (song), a 1980 song by Benny Mardones See also * Hometown Girl (disambiguation) {{dab ...

'',

Denny Laine Denny Laine (born Brian Frederick Hines, 29 October 1944) is an English musician, singer, and songwriter, known as a founder of two major rock bands: the Moody Blues, with whom he played from 1964 to 1966, and Wings, with whom he played from 1 ...

(one track: "Street"), 1985 * ''

Crimes of Passion A crime of passion (French: ''crime passionnel''), in popular usage, refers to a violent crime, especially homicide, in which the perpetrator commits the act against someone because of sudden strong impulse such as anger rather than as a premed ...

'',

Rick Wakeman Richard Christopher Wakeman (born 18 May 1949) is an English keyboardist best known as a former member of the progressive rock band Yes across five tenures between 1971 and 2004, and for his solo albums released in the 1970s. Born and raised ...

(one track: "It's a Lovely Life"), 1986 *''Les voix d'Itxassou'',

Tony Coe Anthony George Coe (born 29 November 1934) is an English jazz musician who plays clarinet, bass clarinet, flute as well as soprano, alto, and tenor saxophones. Career Born in Canterbury, Kent, England, Coe started out on clarinet and was self- ...

, (one track: "The Patriot Game"), 1989 *''A Tribute to

Frankie Miller Francis John Miller (born 2 November 1949) is a Scottish rock singer-songwriter and actor. Miller wrote for and performed with many recording artists and is best known for his 1977 album ''Full House'', the singles "Be Good To Yourself", " D ...

'', (one track: "Jealousy"), 2003 *''Mad Dog Blues'', Hamburg Blues Band (one track: "Wishing Well"), 2008 *''In the Public Interest'',

Clem Clempson David "Clem" Clempson (born 5 September 1949) is an English rock guitarist who has played as a member in a number of bands including Colosseum and Humble Pie. Career Clempson began his career in the late 1960s with the power trio, Bakerloo (or ...

(several tracks), 2013

Television appearances

*''

'' (1990) as "Effie Lambie" *''Your Cheatin' Heart'' (1990) as "Roxanne" * ''

Down Among the Big Boys ''Screen One'' is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and distributed by BBC Worldwide, that was transmitted on BBC One from 1989 to 1998. A total of six series were broadcast, incorporating sixty individual fil ...

'' (1993) as Jean Donnelly

References

Other sources

* Logan, Nick & Woffinden, Bob (eds.) ''The New Musical Express Book of Rock'', W.H. Allen &Co. Ltd (Star), 1973, p. 48. . * Welch, Chris (2002). ''Peter Grant: The Man Who Led Zeppelin''. p. 23. . * Yorke, Ritchie (1999). ''Led Zeppelin: From Early Days to Page and Plant''. p. 192. . * Williamson, Nigel (2007). ''The Rough Guide to Led Zeppelin''. p. 110. .

External links

* * Midnight Flyerat

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 ...

Maggie Bell licensing
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Maggie 1945 births Living people Atlantic Records artists British blues singers 20th-century Scottish women singers People from Maryhill Swan Song Records artists 21st-century Scottish women singers