34 -— Friday. Decemner 4 1998 - North Shore fh.

an fro

Janis Joplin keyboardist
cultivating local talent

RICHARD Bell spells.out the obvious
when pressed about his storied career in
the entertainment business.

“EO frourke oxpression phan musk
sure beats doing divwall” save the man whe plaved
sone rolheking plane as a
member of Janis Jophin’s Full
Nit Boowte Band in LYTO 1
youve gota copy ot Joplin’s
tinteless chisstc Peard woul
find that he’s the teow
standing: re the fort in the
groun shoron the bask of
th, album.

urally he's a Rock and
Real Hall or Fame
Bell is also the kevboard
plaver with dl econ
fuuration af the Bang.

He was in North

(neauver recently to help hone the talents of tw
arusts inthe throes or reahzing their respect
cdisey
wrth Sarcourer based Umeda Switho, president
space entertainments CBO, connected Bell carh
erthis veer with Michael Brows, a voung Burnaby
musician and Janet Liiian Russell a smger songwriter
whe 2 ree snuch of her career as a vocalist sith the

iduetee,

MicHaet Becker

NEWS EDITOR

tule playing kevbourds on recent
ts represe itl —- John
sand Tinda
ny with Beil as a producer of
excited. [ve been looking
rd to this tor sa long.”

She's tiindirg her recording with a Factor loar
Factor isa government body that supplies finds to
promote Canadian content in the recording
art

“It's really an honour to have
been awarded that, and it also
makes a difference between mak:
ing a product and not.” Russell
MVS.

Michael Bzowy has
ready recorded a three -
song demo with Bell.

Browy's grandfather lent
him the money tor the pro-
ject. Bell recently signed an
artistic management deal
with the voung musician.

“s Bell of Baowy, Unt
in the process of helping to
refine his talents. We're trving
to guide him and help him
achieve his goals. His Ivrics have
some depth and I'm quite
impressed with him.

Janet has refined hers already.
She has st wonderful voice and
she’s many steps ahead ofa lot
of people.

Bell sees the music business
as more challenging than ever.

erybody and his brother
aan put out a CD now.
somuch good music out th
The problem Ss getting it toa
listener’s That's what I
would say is

Bell brings a wealth oF expe
ence to any project. Russell and Bzowy are betring on Bell’s par-
thopation to : 98.

“My dad always told me there are only owo kinds of musi
good and bad,” says Bell.

He has made a long career of making good music.

Earlier in the 1960s he hitched up with Ronnie Hawkins atter
the Hawks --- Levon Helm, Rick Danko, Robbie Robertson and
Garth tdudson — split with Hawkins to launch The Band.

In the late 1900s Bell appeared with Has kine at the Fillmore

East. The band was opening for Joe Cocker and Mad Pogs and
Englishmen. Janis Joplin was forming a new band at the time.
Her manager Albert Grossman noticed Bell and invited him to
uv out.

Bell, “I was from Canada. the time Canadians weren't

that aware of her. Sh
phenomenon in the State
i ing thar hap-
pened in the States would
happen siv or eight months
later here. When [went
down, that whole social
scructure was in place, It
was like bringing a rein-
deer down to meer
sodzilla in Japan or
something.
There was a bit of cul-
ture shack, but boy, once
T understood it T jumped
right in, head first. Phad a
good time,” he says,
Bell tound himself among four
Canadians in the band.
lasting impressions of his briet!
time with Janis Joplin?
“Tt was justa giant bubble, It was antazing-
wonderful, T.don’t think anybody ever real:
s what's occurring when vou're doing it
I'm sure like all of us, looking back on things,
we probably embroider a bit, [enjoyed it very
much. r m really happy 1 had her in my lite.

: privitewed to mect fant.”
{

Aficr Joplin died thy band moved to
Voodstock, New York, and soon dissolved.
Bell remained in Woodstock and did a lot of
session work, primarily with Paul Butterfield

and John Schastian,
From there he went on to live in Gee
and Alabama, working asa studio mu
Bel! eventually re! ito his native Canada.
He now lives i Intarie. “Pd
been away for 20 or so 4 and my mother and father were get-
ting on and [ was missing my sister’s children growing up.”
Musical triend Colin Linden helped re-establish Bell in
Toronto, Bell plaved a lot with Linden and together they worked
with Bruce Cockburn. Bell later joined The Band. There was
natural affinity thanks to his stint with Hawkins. Bell continued
to play with Linden’s band as well. :
He remains much in demand as a session plaver, recording
recendy with Bill Morgantield, the son of Muddy Wate:
Vhen he is on stage with The Band, Bell finds that he
to a wide demographic spectrum. “We have a scope of peop!

RICHARD Bell is working with Burnaby musi
flesh out Bzowy’s first CD.

NEWS pheto Terry Peters

ANET Lillian Russell feels lucky to have Richard Beil on board to refine her debut disc. Bell was a member of one of
Janis Joplin’s bands {album cover below) and is presently with The Band (circular publicity photo below).

Photo e.space entertainment

n Michael Bzowy to

that come to see us that TP swear is tram Eto 60 vears old, and E
don’t ever remember sezing that spread when Twas vounger.
“It’s very gratifving to know thar vour ousic can attece
younger peaple,” Bell say
He remembers the advent of music videos and the attendant
emphasis on image over lyrical content as a bleak period.
“Anybody that comes from that era, the 1960s onward, has the
propensity for lyrics and melody. Some bands coming up now,
¢ the Wallflow have a lyric content and melody that was
sadly missing. Content really suffered. TU think that’s settled