William Bell, one of the USA’s most important soul-blues musicians, is a true survivor. After over 60 years in the business, he has been awarded the 2020 National Endowment for the Arts Award in recognition of the cultural significance of his work and its importance to the music heritage he helps promote and preserve. It also comes with a $25, 000 check, which no doubt also helps!

We spoke to William and chatted about his Grammy win in 2016. I took the opportunity to join in the global congratulations to him on this outstanding achievement.

Blues and soul man William Bell smiled when I suggested he’s been working the music business for half a century. He corrected me with a laugh: “Sixty years now, in fact,” he said. Bell was one of the earliest Stax musicians, signed to the label back in 1961 primarily as a songwriter, he always had an ambition to make his mark as both writer and performer. An ambition he readily achieved and three-score years later, he continues to deliver top-notch material with scarcely a trace of effort.

When we caught up at his home in Atlanta, GA, a few months after meeting backstage in London, Bell was working on a new album, studio-bound though he still loves life out on the road: “I never tire of the travel, meeting the fans, working hard,” he confirmed. “Right now, I’m working on a bunch of new songs, some for other artists, and some for a new release I’m working with.”

When Bell talks of writing for others, it’s near-impossible to overestimate his past power, a force that remains vital and dynamic. With credits that include co-authoring the massive blues standard, “Born Under A Bad Sign,” and “Private Number,” recorded with Judy Clay in 1968, this is a guy to take note of. He was particularly pleased to add, “When Carole King, a wonderful writer, records one of your songs, like “Every Day Will Be Like a Holiday,” you know you’re doing something right.”

“Born Under A Bad Sign” is one of those songs that has a near-timeless feel to it, a track he originally wrote for Albert King, after a chance studio meeting when King was recording an album but urgently needed some additional material: ”I went off with Booker T Jones (a co-author) to his place and we worked through the night on it. I already had a bass line, a verse and a bit more in mind, so it came together real quick. Albert loved it, and then a few months later, Cream, with Eric Clapton, recorded it and it took on a life of its own. Jimi Hendrix ever did an instrumental take.’”

Bell was initially a backing vocalist with the Del Rios when he was asked to work with Carla Thomas’ Gee Whizz. He became a great friend of the late soul legend, Carla’s father, Rufus Thomas, and considers the entire Thomas clan to be “family. “Music is central to my life. I used to go along to the Flamingo on Beale Street in Memphis. Rufus was originally a comedian and dance man. He eventually had a go at a talent contest and his career took off,” he laughs. “I still miss him. We had some great times together.”

Like many of his generation and background, Bell’s career began in church: “I started singing in Baptist Church with the choir at about seven years old. By the time I was ten, I was singing solo. My mother was so proud.”

Asked about his own personal heroes, he quickly singled out Sam Cooke, whom he eventually met with in Atlanta, Georgia, when his then manager fixed up a meeting while Bell was riding high in the US soul music charts with his debut hit, “You Don’t Miss Your Water.”

But Bell is also renowned for his connections to another true soul music legend: “I was in the studio with Otis Redding when he was cutting “Dock of the Bay,” he recalled with evident delight.

“When Otis passed, many wrote and recorded tribute songs about him. I also wrote one, but it was meant to be a low-scale, private affair, a song I wrote purely for Otis’s widow, Thelma. I didn’t want to be seen as trying to cash in or anything like that. We were great friends. But when I played “A Tribute to a King,” to Thelma, she loved it and insisted I should record it. I ran it past the guys at Stax and they were the same. So, I reluctantly agreed but recorded it with the sole proviso that it go out as a ‘B’ side.”

Bell was heavily involved in the making of the music documentary film, “Take Me to the River,” where he plays a leading role alongside the late Otis Clay, a near-lifetime friend. Bell is clearly pleased to have picked up a Grammy in 2016 for his album, “This Is Where I Live.”

“It’s my first Grammy,” he laughed, “And it’s only taken me 60 years.”

When the latest award hit the news, I rang William at home in Atlanta to congratulate him and catch his initial thoughts on the award. Always a true pleasure to chat with, he was instantly warm and welcoming, grateful for the support:

“I feel blessed, humbled and overjoyed. It’s just a wonderful award. I do know that the award is affirmation of what I do from my peers and many others. I’m just feeling so blessed to receive this wonderful award,” he said.

And when I asked if he was working on any projects right now, he confirmed he’s staying safe at home, writing songs and working in his studio with more video use than before: “I’m working, writing here at home and in the studio, doing more with video and looking ahead to more digital material maybe. With this Covid upheaval there’s gonna be a different world when we get back out, when the dust settles. I miss the tours, getting out there to meet my fan base. I sure hope we find some cure or way to control this and let us get back out there again sometime soon.”

—Iain Patience