Carey Bell: 1936-2007

Blues vocalist and harmonica master Carey Bell died of heart failure on May 6th at Kindred Hospital during a visit to Chicago. He was 70. Bell was one of the last of the classic Chicago blues harp players. Steeped in the traditions of Mississippi and Chicago blues, Bell developed a signature harmonica style characterized by punchy, jazz-like phrasing and deep blues feeling.

Born in Macon, Mississippi on November 14th, 1936, Carey Bell Harrington moved to Chicago in 1956 with his godfather, the late pianist Lovie Lee. He became immersed in the blues scene, hanging out with fellow harp players Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson II, and Big Walter Horton. Bell developed an especially close relationship with Big Walter, who became his mentor, father figure, and close friend. In 1973 “father and son” recorded the blues harmonica classic, Big Walter Horton With Carey Bell, for Alligator Records.

Prior to recording with Big Walter however, Bell paid his dues. By the mid-’60s harmonica gigs were drying up, giving way to the electric guitar. Bell took up bass, gigging with Eddie Taylor, Earl Hooker, and Big Walter. Those were some rough times as Bell and his fellow musicians were forced to work for low pay or, in some cases, no pay in the rough and tumble clubs on the South and West Sides.

By 1969 Bell was back on harp, fronting his own band and getting ready to record his first solo album, Carey Bell’s Blues Harp, for Delmark. Bell spent the 1970s working on his own projects and touring and recording with Muddy Waters (Bell is featured on Waters’ famous London Sessions album) and Willie Dixon. It was during the 1980s Bell became an established figure on the worldwide scene, traveling, recording, and taking his place in the blues-harp pantheon that included mentors Little Walter, Big Walter, and Williamson II, as well as contemporaries Junior Wells and James Cotton.

Bell relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina several years ago but was in and out of Chicago in the past year to record the live DVD/CD set, Gettin’ Up (Delmark), with his gifted son, guitarist Lurrie Bell. Carey and Lurrie were to appear together at the Chicago Blues Festival on Friday, June 8th (the set will go on with Lurrie leading the band). Our hearts go out to Lurrie and his daughter Aria, whose loving wife and devoted mother, renowned photographer Susan Greenberg, succumbed to cancer earlier this year.

NEW RELEASE: The Bells’ Gettin’ Up: Live At Buddy Guy’s Legends, Rosa’s, And Lurrie’s Home is a remarkable recording, having as much to do with the music as it does with the lives of father and son. This is Chicago blues at its very best, played by two masters of the genre and backed by some of Chicago’s finest musicians. Carey and Lurrie are not effusive in their interactions with one another, yet it is compelling to see the mutual admiration between them, especially during the set at Legends.

Gettin’ Up was recorded on July 27th and 28th and October 21st, 2006. Carey had a stroke, fell, broke his hip, and spent four weeks in a Charlotte hospital prior to the Rosa’s gig on the 27th. Upon his release he made a beeline for Chicago to record with Lurrie. The night before the gig he wrote the title track, a loping, autobiographical piece that anticipates the joy of performing before a live audience: “Well I’m down, but I’m going to get up again/feel so bad/lookin’ at y’all makes me feel good.” Carey’s playing and singing are strong. The only hint something might be wrong is he remains seated throughout the performance. The Rosa’s set contains six songs, featuring two other Bell originals, “Bell’s Back” – an uptempo instrumental featuring wailing harmonica by Carey and flawless jazz and blues runs by Lurrie – and “I’m A Fool.” The band featured on this set is bassist Bob Stroger, drummer Brian “B.J.” Jones, and pianist Roosevelt “Mad Hatter” Purifoy.

The Legends set has a more laid-back feel. With Carey not quite as sharp as he was three months ago, Lurrie is simply devastating. Of the four tunes on this session two are by Little Walter – the uptempo “Leavin’ In The Morning” and the haunting classic “Last Night,” a lament about the death of a close friend, which becomes even more poignant in light of the family tragedies looming on the horizon. Lurrie’s eyes are riveted on his father’s throughout, as they converse with each other through music. The band at Legends includes bassist Joe Thomas, drummer Kenny Smith, Purifoy, and guitarist Scott Cable.

Carey and Lurrie were recorded at home on July 28th. Together they visit traditional blues themes in “Broke And Hungry,” “When I Get Drunk,” and “Short Dress Woman.” Lurrie provides the highlight of “Gettin’ Up” on the final number, ripping into a solo version of the gospel perennial “Stand By Me,” while wife Susan and baby Aria look on. The lyrics are prophetic, as Lurrie sings, “Oh Lord, oh Lord, please stand by me/why don’t you stand by me as I walk this narrow way/help me to bear this heavy load/and if I stumble pick me up/help me to drink from the bitter cup.” A heart-wrenching moment occurs during an interview segment, when Lurrie tells Delmark’s Steve Wagner, “I feel proud . . . I feel like life is worth a whole lot at this particular moment. I have something to live for. I have my music, I have my child, and I have my wife.”

I spoke with Lurrie last month at Buddy Guy’s Legends. When I asked him how he was coping, he smiled and said, “As long as I have the blues, I’ll be all right.”

– Beverly Zeldin-Palmer

Category: Columns, Monthly, Sweet Home