Reuben Bell (c. 1945 – 2004) was an American

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

singer who recorded from the late 1960s to the early 1980s, and is best known for his emotional tenor vocals on the songs "It's Not That Easy" and "I Hear You Knocking (It's Too Late)". Born in

Shreveport, Louisiana Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the third most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, respectively. The Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area, with a population of 393,406 in 2020, is t ...

, he began singing in local clubs. He first recorded, with backing group The Casanovas, on the single "It's Not That Easy", released on the local

Murco Murco Petroleum Limited is an oil refining company based in the United Kingdom. It was set up by Murphy Oil Corporation in 1960. The company owns a forecourt-based chain of convenience stores of Costcutter. Murco purchased a 30% stake in Amoco ...

label in 1967. The recording has subsequently become regarded as a classic of

Southern soul Southern soul is a type of soul music that emerged from the Southern United States. The music originated from a combination of styles, including blues (both 12 bar and jump), country, early R&B, and a strong gospel influence that emanated fro ...

and has featured on several compilation albums. Two later records followed for Murco, "You're Gonna Miss Me" with The Beltones, and "Action Speaks Louder Than Words", before Bell moved to the Silver Fox and House of Orange labels where some of his recordings were produced by

Wardell Quezergue Wardell Joseph Quezergue ( ; March 12, 1930 – September 6, 2011) was an American composer, arranger, record producer and bandleader, known among New Orleans musicians as the "Creole Beethoven". Steeped in jazz, he was an influential musician who ...

. He also wrote songs recorded by

Bobby "Blue" Bland Robert Calvin Bland (born Robert Calvin Brooks; January 27, 1930 – June 23, 2013), known professionally as Bobby "Blue" Bland, was an American blues singer. Bland developed a sound that mixed gospel with the blues and R&B. He was descr ...

and others. In 1972, he recorded

Tarheel Slim Allen Rathel Bunn (September 24, 1923 – August 21, 1977), who was sometimes credited as Alden Bunn and who performed as Tarheel Slim, was an American singer, guitarist and songwriter whose work spanned gospel, blues, doowop, R&B, pop, a ...

's song, "I Hear You Knocking (It's Too Late)", for the DeLuxe label, a subsidiary of King Records. It became Bell's only chart hit, reaching # 38 on the

Billboard R&B chart The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...

. He continued to record through the 1970s for the Alarm label, and released his only album, ''Blues Get Off My Shoulder'', for the Port City label in 1982. Bell died in 2004 while living in Shreveport's Cedar Grove neighborhood.John M. Shaw, "Eddie Giles and Reuben Bell," in ''Shreveport Sounds In Black And White,'' ed. Kip Lornell and Tracey E. W. Laird (Jackson, Miss.: University Press of Mississippi, 2008), 323-337.

References

External links

Article including 2002 interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Reuben American soul musicians 1945 births 2004 deaths 20th-century American musicians