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Although she is a rhythm and blues and rock 'n' roll girl at heart, Madeline Bell doesn't fit into any musical pigeonhole. She packs out Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London during her annual residency, and has a legion of fans for her European big band tours. She had a string of hits in the early seventies as lead vocalist with Blue Mink. Their biggest success was 'Melting Pot', which stayed in the charts for 15 weeks and reached number three. Some people who might not know her name still remember her voice accompanying Joe Cocker in his 1968 number-one hit 'With A Little Help From My Friends'. Music was in her blood from the start. Born in New Jersey, USA, in 1942, she was brought up by her grandmother, who was a regular in the church gospel choir and had been a dancer onstage at the famous Cotton Club in Harlem.
She paid her dues, entertaining troops on American army bases in Germany, and doing the northern club circuit in venues like La Dolce Vita in Newcastle. Soon she was in regular demand as backing vocalist in recording studios. On the way, she met her husband Barry Reeves, drummer with a band called Ferris Wheel, at a gig at the old Bag O' Nails club in the West End.
Madeleine says: 'Blue Mink was never intended to be a working band at all, but became one after successful studio sessions produced its chart hit – for which I was asked to add vocals at the last minute. We had four and a half wonderful years, then called it a day to do our own thing.
I went solo, playing clubs like The Talk of the Town and The Hippodrome, and singing anything from jazz and rock to ballads and the classic standards. I just love music. One thing's for sure: wherever I go, I'm asked to sing 'Melting Pot', and I'll always, always be happy to do just that.'
Royal Society of Portrait Painters People's Portraits collection at Girton College, University of Cambridge
Cambridge
Title
Madeleine Bell, Singer
Date
2000
Medium
oil on canvas
Measurements
H 112 x W 137 cm
Accession number
472
Acquisition method
on loan from the Royal Society of Portrait Painters
Work type
Painting
Inscription description
signature and date
Royal Society of Portrait Painters People's Portraits collection at Girton College, University of Cambridge
Huntingdon Road, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire CB3 0JG England
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Sir James Pitman (d.1985), Pro-Chancellor (1966–1981) University of Bath -
Councillor Mrs Kathleen Nolan, DL, Chairman (1992–1993) Essex County Council -
Mrs A. T. Williamson (b.1944), Headmistress (1995–2005) Dame Alice Owen's School -
Dame Felicity Peake (1913–2002) Goodenough College -
Chelsea Pensioners: Mike Preston, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers The Royal Hospital Chelsea -
Chelsea Pensioners: Joe Britton, Royal Fusiliers The Royal Hospital Chelsea -
Professor Arthur Maurice Lucas, CBE, AO, PhD, FIBiol, FACE, FKC, Principal (1993–2003) King's College London - 122 more