RNCM Big Band with Madeline Bell (vocals) at RNCM
Creative Tourist
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.
