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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZBELL, Carey and LurrieCarey Bell Harrington (b 14 November 1936, Macon MS; d 6 May 2007, Chicago) and his son Lurrie Bell (b 13 December 1958, Chicago) Blues singers. Carey taught himself harmonica from age eight; ran away from home c 1950, to Chicago '56; worked outside music and in Maxwell Street for tips, becoming a premier bluesman in the great line of Walter Horton, Little Walter, etc. Also plays bass, drums, guitar. He recorded with Earl Hooker on Arhoolie '68, own LP Blues Harp on Delmark '69; worked with Muddy Waters '70, also with Jimmy Dawkins, many others; recorded with Horton on Alligator '72; on ABC-Bluesway '73; with Bob Riedy's Blues band on Rounder '73, Flying Fish '74; appeared in documentaries Born In The Blues '73, Sincerely The Blues '75, and toured the world. Lurrie is a fine guitarist and blues singer, his unique vocal colour having traces of Muddy and B.B. King; in concert '86 his intimate lower register was uncannily like that of the great Junior Wells. Lurrie visited Berlin with the New Generation of Chicago Blues '77; worked with Koko Taylor. Father/son toured as duet, made Son Of A Gun '82 on Rooster Blues '84, toured UK '86, live and studio tracks on Straight Shoot on Blues South West backed by sympathetic UK band Junkyard Angels. They were also heard on Rooster LPs by Eddie C. Campbell and by their cousin Eddy Clearwater. Several of Carey's other sons play: James plays drums on two tracks of Son Of A Gun. More albums were Harpslinger on JSP; Carey Bell Meets The Cat: Breakdown Blues Live '91 on CMA; Mellow Down Easy '91 on Blind Pig by Carey Bell and Tough Luck. Carey recorded with Junior Wells and others on Harp Attack! '90, made his own Deep Down '94, both on Alligator; Lurrie's Mercurial Son '95 on Delmark included 'Voodoo Whammy': he 'throws Duane Eddy into a pit with Duke Ellington's earliest jungle rhythm section. Listeners will not find a weak cut on the album', wrote Dave McElfresh in Cadence; this was followed by 700 Blues '97. Lurrie's Can't Shake This Feeling on Delmark was nominated for a Grammy in 2016. |