Derek Bell (musician)

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George Derek Fleetwood Bell MBE (born October 21, 1935 in Belfast , Northern Ireland , † October 17, 2002 in Phoenix , Arizona ) was an Irish musician. He was a member of the Irish band The Chieftains for 28 years .

Due to a medical misdiagnosis in his early childhood (budding permanent blindness ), his parents introduced him to musical instruments at a very early age; he gave his first piano concerto when he was 12 years old. After extensive music studies in England and the USA, he played in various orchestras, among others. a. in the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra . He later got a job with the Belfast Symphony Orchestra , where he became enthusiastic about the harp. In 1965 Bell joined the BBC Northern Ireland Orchestra as a harpist and oboist .

When he met Paddy Moloney from the Chieftains in 1972 , he invited him to a joint appearance and a guest appearance on the album Chieftains 4 . This guest performance became 30 years of membership in the band. Here was Ding Dong Bell, as he was known, a hugely popular with the fans and the musicians because humorous fellow musicians. Due to his appearance, always in a gray suit, he stood out from the overall image of the band.

Derek Bell died after a short illness on October 17th, 2002 in Phoenix, Arizona (USA) after he had recorded the album Down the Old Plank Road with the Chieftains . He could not be replaced in the band so far.

During his time as a member of the Chieftains until his death, Bell , who turned to Buddhism, also performed as a composer and solo artist. He played various harps, piano , harpsichord , English horn , oboe and tiompan (Irish dulcimer). The following solo works exist :

  • Carolan's Receipt (1975) - partly accompanied by the Chieftains, Derek plays works by the Irish composer Turlough O'Carolan
  • Carolan's Favorite (1980) - partly accompanied by the Chieftains, Derek plays works by the Irish composer Turlough O'Carolan
  • Derek Bell Plays with Himself (1981) - Solo recordings of works by various composers, played on 8 instruments
  • Ancient Music for the Irish Harp (1981) - Solo recordings for harp by various composers
  • Derek Bell's musical Ireland (1983) - well-known and popular Irish songs, partly accompanied by the Chieftains
  • The Mystic Harp (1996) - works by Donald Waters with orchestral accompaniment
  • Dussek: Duos Concertants / Sonata élégie harmonique (1996) - works by Dussek , duos for harp and piano with Joanna Leach
  • A Celtic Evening with Derek Bell (1997) - Live recordings with works by various composers
  • Compositions (1998) - original compositions with the Vratza Philharmonic Orchestra (Bulgaria) and soloists
  • Mystic Harp 2 (1999) - works by Donald Waters with orchestral accompaniment

In addition, he was a guest musician with Van Morrison , Elvis Costello , Rankin Family , Mark Knopfler , Will Millar and as a member of the Chieftains in countless other projects.

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personal data
SURNAME Bell, Derek
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Bell, George Derek Fleetwood (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Northern Irish musician
DATE OF BIRTH October 21, 1935
PLACE OF BIRTH Belfast
DATE OF DEATH October 17, 2002
Place of death Phoenix (Arizona)