RNCM Big Band with Madeline Bell (vocals) at RNCM

Creative Tourist

Book now

RNCM Big Band with Madeline Bell (vocals)

13 December 2024

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

Female with white suit sitting on piano stool singing
Tatiana Gorilovsky.
Book now

This December, legendary singer Madeline Bell joins the RNCM Big Band for a night of soaring soul.

A Newark, New Jersey native, Bell started her career in the mid 50s, singing with a local gospel choir, before her irresistible voice took her around the world, most notably with the Alex Bradford Singers. With that group, she first arrived in Europe in 1962, and found something here that made her never want to leave, and indeed she hasn’t.

Before long, Bell’s expressive voice, shaped by her gospel beginnings, caught the ears of many greats, who enlisted her as a session singer. Dusty Springfield, Tom Jones, Scott Walker, Long John Baldry, Joe Cocker, The Rolling Stones and Elton John are just some of the legends she collaborated with around that time, before the moment came to create something that was her own.

Released in 1967, her debut solo album, Bell’s A Poppin’,  featured the song ‘Picture Me Gone’, a bold and sassy dancefloor filler that would be heralded as a Northern Soul classic. It led her to become part of the pop group Blue Mink, with whom she recorded hit songs like ‘Good Morning Freedom’ and ‘Melting Pot’. Into the ’70s, Bell’s solo career hit new creative heights with her album This Is One Girl, which featured ‘That’s What Friends Are For’ – an irresistibly catchy samba-soul song in which both Bell’s writing and vocal prowess are undeniable.

Through the 80s and 90s Bell would continue splitting her time between her own music and working with other artists, as well as performing in a number of stage shows. In more recent years, her jazz/blues repertoire has seen Bell play the world over, fronting the likes of the Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw and the BBC Big Band. In 2023, she celebrated her 80th birthday at her sold-out show at London’s Cadogan Hall with the English Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Matthew Jones.

Bell’s voice, remarkably undimmed by the years, is still loved around the world, as is her charismatic stage presence, which often finds her sharing incredible tales from across her career – and considering the kinds of artists she’s worked with, these memories, you can imagine, are pure treasure.

Don’t miss the chance to catch a real soul legend grace the RNCM stage this December, as Madeline Bell and the RNCM Big Band take you on a journey through time.

Where to go near RNCM Big Band with Madeline Bell (vocals) at RNCM

Manchester
Restaurant
San Carlo Fumo

San Carlo Fumo is a sun trap on St Peter’s Square, serving up traditional Italian food at its best

Utility Gift Shop
Manchester
Shop
Utility Gift Shop

Utility Gift Shop on Oxford Road is all about products that are new, unique, quirky and cool. High street shopping at its best.

exterior of Contact Theatre building
Manchester
Theatre
Contact Theatre

Following a major redevelopment, the iconic venue on Oxford Road will be reopening its doors to welcome the public back into the building this autumn. 

The Salutation pub in Manchester
Manchester
Bar or Pub
The Salutation

This traditional boozer, surrounded by imposing flats and university buildings, was taken over by Trof (of the Deaf Institute fame). The Sally, as the regulars call it, hosts an energetic, arty crowd – and its recently expanded outside area is another good reason to visit.

What's on: Music

MusicManchester
John Talabot at The White Hotel

A quietly radical force in contemporary club culture, John Talabot returns to The White Hotel for one of his signature all-night sessions.

From £13.00
NightGarden Festival
Festivals
NightGarden Festival

Somewhere in Trafford, behind an unmarked gate, a former garden centre hosts one of Greater Manchester’s most original festivals.

From £20
MusicManchester
Manchester Psych Fest 2025

Manchester Psych Fest, the UK’s trailblazing psychedelic music and arts festival has announced a massive bill for its 2025 edition.

From £44.80
Summer at Aviva Studios
Until
ActivityManchester
Summer at Aviva Studios

From global dance and live music to storytelling, skateboarding and football, get ready for a dream summer on the banks of the River Irwell.

Free entry

Culture Guides

Theatre in Manchester and the North.
Theatre in the North

From outdoor shows to drama in the dark, our theatre guide celebrates genre-pushing work, new writing and contemporary performance.

Author portrait
Literature Events in the North

Our latest round-up features plenty of one-off live literature events to wrap your ears about, so get those diaries ticking over...

Two women stand next to an orange car.
Cinema in the North

August brings a huge LGBTQ+ film festival, plus a reggae classic and a spotlight on Japanese animation.

Blondshell by Hannah Bon.
Music in the North

From Lyra Pramuk’s sacred synths to the sugar rush of YAANG, our latest music picks bring ritual, rebellion and ridiculous levels of fun.