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

Culture Guides

Theatre in Manchester
Theatre in the North

Summer signals theatre festivals, world premieres and open-air spectacle - from MIF25 to comedy, outdoor circus and beyond, here’s what we’re looking forward to.

Harry Baker
Literature Events in the North

From environmental to experimental, our poetry and prose picks from around the North are focused on the unusual and the fun.

Exhibitions in the North

Captivating, urgent and intimate - we bring you our top exhibition picks, with even more art festivals, artist-led shows and new venues.

Helena Hauff
Music in the North

Shape-shifting bands, scorched-earth techno, and off-grid festivals. Our latest music picks catch the live scene at its most urgent, inventive and alive.

Cloudwater Production One
Tours and Activities in the North

Go forth with wild abandon to dance the pavements, dabble with the paint and down the pints in this month's tours and activities guide.

Classical Music in the North

Read our latest highlights from the live classical music offer in Manchester and the North, taking in a number of the region's most cherished orchestral forces and venues.

A young boy with a white sash around his left arm cries.
Cinema in the North

Outdoor cinema announcements, a major retrospective at HOME, and the best of indie cinema.