William Bell, the voice of a wolf

William Bell lived with a wolf. That’s not some euphemism for a hidden curse, or an interior life, or even a rough-and-tumble roommate or lover. No, William Bell, the Atlanta-based soul and rhythm-and-blues singer lived with an actual, howl-at-the-moon wolf.

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“Kojak was his name,” Bell says, reclining on a vintage sofa in the sitting room of an ornate Inman Park Queen Anne house we’re visiting. “He was a good wolf.” Years ago, a forest ranger friend of Bell’s found the wolf pup abandoned in the wilderness and nursed him back to health. “He took him home and was gonna raise him,” Bell says, “but his wife put a no-no to that. It was either he and the wolf move out, or something else happen, so he called me with the dilemma.” The ranger brought the 3-month-old pup by the studio where Bell was recording. Kojak hopped out of the ranger’s Jeep and ran straight to his side.

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That Bell, who turned 76 years old earlier this summer, could decide to raise a wild wolf as a household companion is no big surprise. Give a listen to his singing, and it’s clear that Bell is a man who has lived his life harnessing powerful forces. His voice is impassioned but never strained, confessional and direct without being overbearing. It’s smooth, it’s strong, it’s soul.

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Bell first dipped his toes into the musical world in his hometown of Memphis, singing in the 1950s as a member of the doo-wop group the Del Rios. He later hooked up with the iconic Memphis label Stax, recording his first single “You Don’t Miss Your Water” in 1961. Later versions helped popularize the tune, including renditions by Otis Redding, the Byrds, Peter Tosh, and Brian Eno.

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Bell’s long career with Stax turned out a number of rock-solid soul songs, though he never had the name recognition of label mates Redding, Sam & Dave, and Isaac Hayes. His single “Do Right Woman, Do Right Man” gained popularity when Aretha Franklin sang it, but the original version on Bell’s 1967 album The Soul of a Bell, an essential Southern soul disc. That same year, Bell co-wrote the blues classic “Born Under a Bad Sign” with foundational Stax multi-instrumentalist Booker T. Jones.

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“William Bell is an absolute star,” music writer Robert Gordon said last year while discussing his book on Stax and Memphis music. “It’s kind of a mystery why he isn’t more well known.”

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Over the decades, Bell collaborated with a number of artists, including, most recently, Snoop Dogg. The two put together a song called “I Forgot To Be Your Lover,” which appears in the 2014 film Take Me to the River, a documentary looking at the Stax legacy.

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Although he’s usually busy traveling for screenings and performances around the globe, it’s been years since Bell made a proper appearance on an Atlanta stage.

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That changes on Sat., Dec. 12, when he plays at the Earl, backed by the Total Package Band, a large soul-style group he’s worked with for more than a decade. The show will touch on his hits, some new songs and other songs made famous by Bell’s Stax compatriots. The performance is part of a series of shows celebrating the anniversary of local music monthly Stomp & Stammer Magazine. “I really think everyone’s going to be blown away by him,” says Jeff Clark, the longtime ATL music writer and Stomp & Stammer founder. Clark talked to Bell about a show after seeing him at a local screening of Take Me to the River last year. “I’ve been a fan for a long time, and I knew he lived in Atlanta but hadn’t played here in ages, so I’d been considering approaching him to do a show for a while.”

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There’s a new album coming from Bell in June 2016, on Concord/Stax, marking his first release in a decade. The new album is set to bear the mark of Stax Records, where Bell got his start — his first new Stax release in 40 years. “It’s interesting. I’m excited about it,” Bell says. “Looking back, I get to say that’s where I started, so it’s appropriate in many ways. And now that they’re restarting the label, I’m the first male act they signed, so it makes sense. We’ve got a good product, I’m happy about the CD and the way it turned out, and they’re excited too,” he adds. “That’s important, and I hope we can bring it home for them.”

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Does a man in his 70s write about the same things as a man in his 20s? New songs hint that matters of the heart are eternal. “I still try to write about life, things I see and personal experiences,” Bell says. “It’s changed a little, but I write about what I think people can identify with. I like good melodic content and good lyrical content.”

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Bell lives and records in College Park, and has been an inductee to the Georgia Music Hall of Fame for almost two decades. He has also received an R&B Pioneer Award. Accolades and medals don’t change anything, Bell says, but, “it’s nice to get recognized, and a validation that the music we made was important, and good, too.”

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He’s not out much on stage, and the Earl’s modest confines may struggle to house Bell’s full band. And to be honest, the room will struggle to hold Bell’s voice, a true Georgia treasure, and one too-seldom heard around these parts. He’ll croon, he’ll shout, he’ll sing.

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He’ll howl, and anyone who’s within earshot will too.