Vinnie Bell

Vinnie Bell was born in Brooklyn, New York City, and studied guitar from childhood. He made his first recordings as a session musician on singles by such instrumental groups as the Overtones and the Gallahads, and played in nightclubs in New York City in the late 1950s. During this time, he developed his characteristic "watery" guitar sound, popular in instrumental recordings in the 1960s.{{Cite book |title=Passport to the future : the amazing life and sounds of electronic pop music pioneer Jean-Jacques Perrey |last=Countryman |first=Dana |date=2010 |publisher=Sterling Swan Press |others=Young, Frank M. |isbn=9781453865873 |location=Everett, Wa |oclc=757178430}} By 1962, Bell decided to devote his energies to working as a studio musician in New York and Los Angeles. In 1963, he did a session with the French Jean-Jacques Perrey for Kai Winding, in which he played the guitar and Perrey played the Ondioline. After that Vinnie along with Perrey recorded several successful commercials, when Jean-Jacques got a contract with the Vanguard Records label. Perrey asked him to be the lead guitarist for his recording sessions as "E.V.A." from Moog Indigo (1970).{{cite web |title=Welcome to Vinnie Bell .com! |url=http://www.danacountryman.com/vinnie/main.htm |website=Dana Countryman |access-date=22 December 2021}}

He also helped design a number of electric guitar models with the company Danelectro for its Coral™ line of instruments, including the "Bellzouki" electric 12-string guitar,{{Cite book |title=Rickenbacker electric 12 string : the story of the guitars, the music, and the great players |last=Bacon |first=Tony |date=2010 |publisher=Backbeat Books |isbn=9780879309886 |edition=1st |location=Milwaukee, WI |oclc=432407412}} and the electric sitar,{{Cite web |url=https://www.premierguitar.com/articles/23392-danelectro-baby-sitar-review |title=Danelectro Baby Sitar Review |date=December 7, 2015 |first=Charles |last=Saufley |website=Premierguitar.com |language=en |access-date=2019-06-23}} which was used, not necessarily by Bell, on such hits as "Cry Like a Baby" by The Box Tops, "Green Tambourine" by The Lemon Pipers, and a cover of the love theme from the 1970 film, Airport.{{Cite web |url=https://api.discogs.com/artists/353572 |title=Vinnie Bell |website=Discogs |language=en |access-date=2019-06-23}} The last of these sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc.{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/274 |title=The Book of Golden Discs |last=Murrells |first=Joseph |publisher=Barrie and Jenkins Ltd |year=1978 |isbn=0-214-20512-6 |edition=2nd |location=London |page=[https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/274 274] }} It also won a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition in 1971, while Bell was nominated for Best Instrumental Performance.{{Cite web |url=https://www.grammy.com/grammys/artists/vincent-bell |title=Vincent Bell |date=2019-06-04 |website=GRAMMY.com |language=en |access-date=2019-06-23}}

As well as being notable for his technical innovations, Bell worked extensively as a session player, playing on tracks such as "The Sounds of Silence" by Simon & Garfunkel{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/studiostorieshow00simo |title=Studio stories : how the great New York records were made : from Miles to Madonna, Sinatra to the Ramones |last=Simons |first=Dave |date=2004 |publisher=Backbeat Books |isbn=0879308176 |edition=1st |location=San Francisco, Calif. |oclc=57543979}} and for artists such as The Four Seasons and Bob Dylan, specifically his "Desire" album.{{Cite web |url=https://www.guitarplayer.com/players/the-top-30-12-string-guitar-songs-of-all-time |title=The Top 30 12-String Guitar Songs of All Time |first1=Damian |last1=Fanelli |first2=Josh |last2=Hart |website=GuitarPlayer.com |language=en-us |access-date=2019-06-23}} He also recorded occasionally under his own name, his albums including The Soundtronic Guitar of Vincent Bell (Independent Record Company, 1960), Whistle Stop (Verve, 1964), and Pop Goes the Electric Sitar (Decca, 1967).

He died on October 3, 2019, at the age of 87.

• The Soundtronic Guitar of Vincent Bell (1959)
• Whistle Stop (Verve, 1964)
• Big Sixteen Guitar Favorites (Musicor, 1965)
• Pop Goes the Electric Sitar (Decca, 1967)
• Good Morning Starshine (Decca, 1969)
• Airport Love Theme (Decca, 1970)

• "Airport Love Theme" (US # 31, 1970; AC # 2, 1970, Australia #4{{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|page=32}})
• "Nikki" (1970) Did not chart

With Quincy Jones

• Quincy Jones Explores the Music of Henry Mancini (Mercury, 1964)

With Les McCann

• Les McCann Plays the Hits (Limelight, 1966)

With Clark Terry

• Mumbles (Mainstream, 1966)

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.danacountryman.com/vinnie/main.htm Vinnie Bell website (Preserved at danacountryman.com)]
• [https://www.namm.org/library/oral-history/vinnie-bell Vinnie Bell Interview] at NAMM Oral History Collection (2017)

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Vincent}}

Category:1932 births

Category:2019 deaths

Category:20th-century American inventors

Category:American rhythm and blues guitarists

Category:American male guitarists

Category:American rock guitarists

Category:American session musicians

Category:Decca Records artists

Category:Guitarists from New York City

Category:Musicians from Brooklyn

Category:20th-century American guitarists

Category:20th-century American male musicians