Ed Bell

Ed Bell (born May 1905, died 1960, 1965 or 1966) was an American Piedmont blues and country blues singer, guitarist and songwriter whose identity has only recently been verified by historians. Some of his records were released under the pseudonyms Sluefoot Joe and Barefoot Bill from Alabama. His best-remembered recording is "Mamlish Blues".

Colin Larkin noted in the Encyclopedia of Popular Music that "Bell stands as the most influential Alabama artist in pre-war blues recordings."

Birth and Death Data: Born 1905 (Alabama), Died 1960 (Greenville)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1930

Roles Represented in DAHR: vocalist

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Columbia W151035 10-in. 12/4/1930 Drunk spell blues Ed Bell Male vocal solo ("blues singer"), with guitar vocalist  
Columbia W151036 10-in. 12/4/1930 Starvation moan Ed Bell Male vocal solo ("blues singer"), with guitar vocalist  
Columbia W151037 10-in. 12/4/1930 Carry it right back home Ed Bell Male vocal solo ("blues singer"), with guitar vocalist  
Columbia W151038 10-in. 12/4/1930 She's a fool gal Ed Bell Male vocal solo ("blues singer"), with guitar vocalist  
Columbia W151039 10-in. 12/4/1930 You've got to hand it up to Him Ed Bell Male vocal solo ("blues singer"), with guitar vocalist  
Columbia W151040 10-in. 12/4/1930 She can use that thing Ed Bell Male vocal solo ("blues singer"), with guitar vocalist  

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Bell, Ed," accessed May 22, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/303704.

Bell, Ed. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved May 22, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/303704.

"Bell, Ed." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 22 May 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/303704

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