Richard Bell: 1946-2007
Richard Bell was one of those musicians you may not have known by his name or his face, but who will long be remembered for his work.
Bell was a keyboardist and songwriter. You can hear him on Janis Joplin's last album, Pearl. You can hear him on the last three of The Band's albums. At various times, he recorded with the likes of Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt, Joe Walsh and Paul Butterfield. In recent months, he was working on an album with The Flying Burrito Brothers.
Richard Bell died of cancer on June 15 at the age of 61 in a Toronto hospital. Friend and fellow musician Colin Linden told Associated Press, "I've never known a finer musician and a finer man. He had an insatiable thirst for knowledge and for life. At age 61, he played as well or better than he ever played."
Comments
It is with both deep sadness and only wonderful memories that we share with you that our beloved friend and mentor Richard Bell has passed away..
Richard quickly became much more then only our producer, he was an inspiration and a dear friend. Richard made my dream come true. In my lifetime, I never imagined that I would ever have the opportunity to meet Richard, let alone perform with him and have him produce our last CD Perfect Remedy. With kindness in his heart, Richard opened up a world for me that only I use to dream about when I was a kid. He gave me world of music and introduced me to musicians that touched, inspired and changed me.
Richard always made himself available to talk and share his wisdom. His stories were always engaging and humorous, and his life lessons openly shared. I can not remember a phone conversation that did not include Richard telling a joke. Richard was humble, down to earth and in the short years that I knew him he came to be seen and known as one of those rare individuals who made an entire group of strangers feel welcome and loved.
We were in pre production for our next recording with Richard, of course, at the helm. We know that it was a project that he was looking forward to.
Our deepest and most heartfelt condolences go to Richard’s family.
You can hear some of Richards brilliant work at http://www.sonicbids.com/iceboxmusic
like the moon and the sea…
like the fish in the ocean…
like the sweet smell of clover fields…
like the sound of an hour glass…
Mark & Ricko
fridge magnets
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Mark. It is often the artists we know the least about who have had the most influence on the music we’re so fond of.
Richard’s memorial was incredibly moving and fulfilling, to learn about the family man that few of us musician’s knew about. I have tremedous respect for him and his legacy.