Adolphus Bell: Difference between revisions
(New page: '''Adolphus Bell''' (born June 5, 1944 in Birmingham) is a blues musician, best known as a "one man band". Bell was the son of a miner who died two months before Adolphus was ...) |
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Discouraged with the unreliability of his bandmates, he experimented with singing while playing guitar, bass drum and high-hat himself. He played Pittsburgh, then moved to Atlanta, Georgia in a station wagon he bought with lottery winnings. He painted "One Man Band" on both sides to advertise his music. During the [[Civil Rights Movement]] he acted as a sort of "Pied Piper", playing music and leading impromptu demonstrations through the streets of Atlanta. He was arrested for playing without a permit, but public pressure on the Mayor and municipal court led to an order that police leave him alone. | Discouraged with the unreliability of his bandmates, he experimented with singing while playing guitar, bass drum and high-hat himself. He played Pittsburgh, then moved to Atlanta, Georgia in a station wagon he bought with lottery winnings. He painted "One Man Band" on both sides to advertise his music. During the [[Civil Rights Movement]] he acted as a sort of "Pied Piper", playing music and leading impromptu demonstrations through the streets of Atlanta. He was arrested for playing without a permit, but public pressure on the Mayor and municipal court led to an order that police leave him alone. | ||
Bell moved back to [[Birmingham]], then to [[Gadsden]] in [[1980]] while working in a chicken plant | Bell moved to Flint, Michigan, back to [[Birmingham]], then to [[Gadsden]] in [[1980]] while working in a chicken plant. He later came back to Birmingham. Everywhere he has lived he has played free concerts for anyone who would listen on the streets, at parks, senior centers, and even jailhouses. In the 2000s, he was contacted by the Music Maker Relief Foundation, which organized international tours and produced an album. He now drives a brown van with his "One Man Band Show" advertised on the side panels. | ||
==Recordings== | ==Recordings== | ||
Revision as of 20:50, 8 July 2013
Adolphus Bell (born June 5, 1944 in Birmingham) is a blues musician, best known as a "one man band".
Bell was the son of a miner who died two months before Adolphus was born. He grew up in Luverne, Crenshaw County and moved with his mother to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1962. He learned guitar from neighbor George Benson. During the 1960s he played around the city with a quintet called Adolphus Bell and the Upstarts. He dubbed his 1960 Gibson guitar "Pawnshop" because every time he bought it back out of hock it had a bluesier sound.
Discouraged with the unreliability of his bandmates, he experimented with singing while playing guitar, bass drum and high-hat himself. He played Pittsburgh, then moved to Atlanta, Georgia in a station wagon he bought with lottery winnings. He painted "One Man Band" on both sides to advertise his music. During the Civil Rights Movement he acted as a sort of "Pied Piper", playing music and leading impromptu demonstrations through the streets of Atlanta. He was arrested for playing without a permit, but public pressure on the Mayor and municipal court led to an order that police leave him alone.
Bell moved to Flint, Michigan, back to Birmingham, then to Gadsden in 1980 while working in a chicken plant. He later came back to Birmingham. Everywhere he has lived he has played free concerts for anyone who would listen on the streets, at parks, senior centers, and even jailhouses. In the 2000s, he was contacted by the Music Maker Relief Foundation, which organized international tours and produced an album. He now drives a brown van with his "One Man Band Show" advertised on the side panels.
Recordings
- Adolphus Bell (2005) "One Man Band". Pinnacle Productions/Music Maker Recordings
References
- Bolton, Mark (June 17, 1983) "Adolphus Bell". Gadsden Times
External links
- Adolphus Bell at musicmaker.org
- Adolphus Bell portrait by Drew Pearson on flickr.com