Representative Albums: "Mercurial Son", "Young Man's Blues: The Best of the JSP Sessions (1989-1990)", "Chicago Blues: A Living History
Representative Songs: "Going Back to Louisiana", "I'm Your 44", "I Need You So Bad
Biography
Lurrie Bell was born on December 13, 1958, in Chicago. His famous father, harpist Carey Bell, had him working out on guitar as a wee lad. By 1977, he was recording with his dad and playing behind a variety of established stars, tabbed by many observers at the time as a sure star on the rise. But personal problems took their toll on his great potential; Bell's recorded output and live performances were inconsistent in the '80s and early '90s. Among the highlights of Bell's discography are three tracks in tandem with harpist Billy Branch under the Sons of Blues banner (Bell was a founding member of the band) from Alligator's first batch of 1978 Living Chicago Blues anthologies and a 1984 collaboration, Son of a Gun, with his old man for Rooster Blues. Then there's his set for Delmark, Mercurial Son, as bizarre a contemporary blues album as you're likely to encounter. Bell followed Mercurial Son with the more straightforward 700 Blues in spring 1997; The Blues Had a Baby appeared two years later. ~ Bill Dahl and Al Campbell, All Music Guide
In the mid 1970s, he went on to join Koko Taylor's Blues Machine and he toured with the band for four years. He made his recording debut in 1977 appearing on his father's album Heartaches and Pain and also on Eddie C. Campbell's King of the Jungle[2][1]. It was around that time that he formed The Sons of Blues with musicians including Billy Branch on harmonica.[3] Three tracks of the band's recordings were featured in the Alligator RecordscompilationLiving Chicago Blues Vol. 3 released in 1978. In 1989 he released his first solo effort, Everybody Wants To Win, on JSP Records.
Though Bell's career appeared to be headed in the right direction, drawing attention of the blues fans around the world as a young prodigy of the blues, he battled emotional problems and drug abuse for many years, which kept him away from performing on regular basis.[3]
He began a comeback in 1995 with the well-received album Mercurial Son, his first of several from the Delmarklabel. A series of albums followed thereafter, and he started to perform more frequently in the Chicago club and blues festival circuits.
Bell is featured on Gettin' Up - Live at Buddy Guy's Legends, Rosa's and Lurrie's Home, a 2007 CD and DVD release from Delmark, where he plays with his father Carey. Soon after this release, Carey died and this became his last recorded effort.
Discography
Solo
1989 Everybody Wants To Win (JSP)
1995 Mercurial Son (Delmark)
1997 700 Blues (Delmark)
1997 Young Man's Blues (JSP)
1998 Kiss Of Sweet Blues (Delmark)
1998 The Blues Caravan Live At Pit Inn 1982 (P-Vine)
1999 Blues Had A Baby (Delmark)
2001 Cutting Heads (Vypyr)
2007 Let's Talk About Love (Aria B.G.)
With Carey Bell
1977 Heartaches and Pain (Delmark)
1982 Going on Main Street (L+R)
1984 Son of a Gun (Rooster Blues)
1986 Straight Shoot (Blues South West)
1990 Dynasty (JSP)
1994 Harpmaster (JSP)
1995 Deep Down (Alligator)
1997 Father&Son The Blues Collection (BLU GNC 072)
2004 Second Nature (Alligator) (recorded in 1991)
2007 Gettin' Up, Live at Buddy Guy's Legends, Rosa's and Lurrie's Home (Delmark)
Collaboration with other artists
1981 American Folk Blues Festival '81 (L+R)
1982 The Sons of Blues Live '82 (L+R)
1982 Chicago's Young Blues Generation (L+R) with Billy Branch
1998 Chicago's Hottest Guitars: Chicago Blues Session, Vol. 25 (Wolf) with Phil Guy
