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Maggie Bell


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Many of you will remember Maggie Bell when she was signed to Swansong Records, and also performing at the O2.

Maggie, the Queen of Scots and the Queen of Soul, set to rule again

Derby Evening Telegraph (Derby); Nov 24, 2010; NIGEL POWLSON; p. 23

Full Text:

(Copyright © Northcliffe Newspapers Group Limited 2010)

MAGGIE Bell is Scotland's unofficial Queen of Soul.

She was a founder member of Stone the Crows and later had a successful solo career on both sides of the Atlantic before quitting Britain for the Netherlands and a sojourn that lasted two decades.

Now she's back and working in tandem with Dave Kelly, London's "slide guitar king", who learned his trade in the backing bands of, and recording with, Son House, Howlin' Wolf, John Lee Hooker, Buddy Guy and Junior Wells. He has been a member of The Blues Band for the past 28 years.

Maggie says: "Dave's with the Blues Band and I have my own band and Dave has done a few gigs with us abroad. But we started this little duo as a sideline a couple of years ago and it has been very successful and we do different stuff to what I would do with my band. It's just the guitar and my voice but the blend is great and it gives us a chance to do different things to normal.

"Dave's one of the best players in the world and we do a real mixture, which seems to work."

You can see them at The Flowerpot tomorrow. A solo set by Dave will be followed by a set with Dave playing guitar for Maggie's songs, all topped by a few duets.

The pair are now on the third tour together and were about to kick off in Scotland when Qt caught up with Maggie.

"It's freezing at the moment and the first gig is in Inverness - so that should be fun," she says. "Since I came back from Holland four years ago it has been the best time of my life because there's no pressure. There's no stress from big record companies and management, it's wonderful."

Maggie did a few other projects while out of the UK including playing Billy Connolly's wife in a BBC production but didn't really make full use of her voice.

"I did a few gigs but nothing spectacular," she says.

Maggie went to Holland for the archetypal reason - "I met a man and fell in love" she admits. "We didn't have any kids but got a dog. When the dog died I left the man.

"I had a normal life. But it didn't work and I didn't want to die in Holland so I came back to the UK to finish what I had started in the music business."

Vocally regarded as Britain's answer to Janis Joplin, Maggie was a founder member of influential early 1970s outfit Stone The Crows with Leslie Harvey.

"It's amazing the number of people who followed me back then who still come to gigs," she says.

Stone The Crows ended tragically when Harvey was electrocuted in a freak accident. Maggie later enjoyed chart success as the singer of the hit, Hold Me with B. A. Robertson and when she returned to the UK music scene in 2006 performed live at Led Zeppelin's one-off reunion concert at London's O2 in November 2007.

"If you are really professional and love it you can only get better and better," says Maggie.

"I think it's all about technique and everyone says I'm singing better than ever before."

SEE THE SHOW MAGGIE BELL AND DAVE KELLY WHERE: The Flowerpot, King Street, Derby.

WHEN: Tomorrow, doors open 8pm.

TICKETS: Pounds 12. INFORMATION: Call 01332 834438 or go to www.rawpromo.co.uk.

"Dave's one of the best guitar players in the world and we do a real mixture." MAGGIE BELL

Credit: BY NIGEL POWLSON

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