Vincent Edward Gambella (July 28, 1932 – October 3, 2019), known as Vinnie Bell, was an American session guitarist, instrument designer and pioneer of

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s in

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Life and career

Vinnie Bell was born in

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Life and career

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 A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, re ...

in the 1960s. By 1962, Bell decided to devote his energies to working as a recording studio">studio A studio is a space set aside for creative work of any kind, including art, dance, music and theater. The word ''studio'' is derived from the , from , from ''studere'', meaning to study or zeal. Types Art The studio of any artist, esp ...

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 Vanguard Recording Society is an American record label set up in 1950 by brothers Maynard and Seymour Solomon in New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the so ...

label. Perrey asked him to be the lead guitarist for his recording sessions as "E.V.A." from ''

Moog Indigo ''Moog Indigo'' is the ninth studio album by the French electronic music pioneer Jean-Jacques Perrey, released in 1970 on the Vanguard Records label. The album's name is a reference to the jazz song " Mood Indigo" by Duke Ellington. Compositio ...

'' (1970). He also helped design a number of

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external electric Guitar amplifier, sound amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar. It uses one or more pickup (music technology), pickups ...

models with the company

Danelectro Danelectro is a brand of musical instruments and accessories that was founded in Red Bank, New Jersey, in 1947. The company is known primarily for its string instruments that employed unique designs and manufacturing processes. The Danelectro com ...

for its Coral™ line of instruments, including the "Bellzouki" electric

12-string guitar A twelve-string guitar (or 12-string guitar) is a steel-string guitar with 12 strings in six courses, which produces a thicker, more ringing tone than a standard six-string guitar. Typically, the strings of the lower four courses are tuned in ...

, and the

electric sitar An electric sitar is a type of electric string instrument designed to mimic the sound of the sitar The sitar ( or ; ) is a plucked stringed instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in Hindustani classical music. The instru ...

, which was used, not necessarily by Bell, on such hits as "

Cry Like a Baby Crying is the dropping of tears (or welling of tears in the eyes) in response to an emotional state or physical pain. Emotions that can lead to crying include sadness, anger, joy, and fear. Crying can also be caused by relief from a perio ...

" by

The Box Tops The Box Tops is an American rock band formed in Memphis, Tennessee in 1967. They are best known for the hits " The Letter", "Cry Like a Baby", and " Soul Deep" and are considered a major blue-eyed soul group of the period. They performed a mi ...

, "

Green Tambourine "Green Tambourine" is a song written and composed by Paul Leka (who also produced it) and Shelley Pinz. It was the biggest hit by the 1960s Ohio-based rock group the Lemon Pipers, as well as the title track of their debut album, '' Green Tambo ...

" by

The Lemon Pipers The Lemon Pipers were a short-lived 1960s American rock band from Oxford, Ohio, known chiefly for their song "Green Tambourine", which reached No. 1 in the United States in 1968. The song has been credited as being the first bubblegum pop chart ...

, and a cover of the love theme from the 1970

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, ''

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''. The last of these sold over one million copies and was awarded a

gold disc Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

. It also won a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

for

Best Instrumental Composition The Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition (including its previous names) has been awarded since 1960. The award is presented to the composer of an original piece of music (not an adaptation), first released during the eligibility year. I ...

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...

, while Bell was nominated for Best Instrumental Performance. 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 Simon & Garfunkel were an American folk rock duo comprising the singer-songwriter Paul Simon and the singer Art Garfunkel. They were one of the best-selling music acts of the 1960s. Their most famous recordings include three US number-one sing ...

and for artists such as The Four Seasons and

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

, specifically his "

Desire Desires are states of mind that are expressed by terms like "wanting", "wishing", "longing" or "craving". A great variety of features is commonly associated with desires. They are seen as propositional attitudes towards conceivable states of affa ...

" album. 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.

Discography

Albums

* ''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)

Singles

*"Airport Love Theme" ( US # 31, 1970; AC # 2, 1970, Australia #4) *"Nikki" (1970) Did not chart

As sideman

With

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (March 14, 1933 – November 3, 2024) was an American record producer, composer, arranger, conductor, trumpeter, and bandleader. Over the course of his seven-decade career, he received List of awards and nominations re ...

*''

Quincy Jones Explores the Music of Henry Mancini ''Quincy Jones Explores the Music of Henry Mancini'' is an album by Quincy Jones that contains music composed by Henry Mancini. Track listing All music composed by Henry Mancini, lyricists indicated # "Baby Elephant Walk" – 2:49 # "Charade ( ...

'' (Mercury, 1964) With

Les McCann Leslie Coleman McCann (September 23, 1935 – December 29, 2023) was an American jazz pianist and vocalist. He is known for his innovations in soul jazz and his Swiss Movement, 1969 recording of the protest song "Compared to What". His music ha ...

*'' Les McCann Plays the Hits'' (Limelight, 1966) With

Clark Terry Clark Virgil Terry Jr. (December 14, 1920 – February 21, 2015) was an American Swing music, swing and bebop trumpeter, a pioneer of the flugelhorn in jazz, and a composer and educator. He played with Charlie Barnet (1947), Count Basie (1948� ...

*''

Mumbles Mumbles () is a headland sited on the western edge of Swansea Bay on the southern coast of Wales. Toponym Mumbles has been noted for its place names considered unusual, unusual place name. The headland is thought by some to have been named by ...

'' (Mainstream, 1966)

References

External links

Vinnie Bell website (Preserved at danacountryman.com)Vinnie Bell Interview
at NAMM Oral History Collection (2017) {{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Vincent 1932 births 2019 deaths 20th-century American inventors American rhythm and blues guitarists American male guitarists American rock guitarists American session musicians Decca Records artists Guitarists from New York City Musicians from Brooklyn 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American male musicians