Chris Bell (American musician)

Chris Bell
Bell playing the guitar
Bell in the studio
Background information
Birth nameChristopher Branford Bell
Born(1951-01-12)January 12, 1951
Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
DiedDecember 27, 1978(1978-12-27) (aged 27)
Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • singer-songwriter
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
Years active1963–1978
Labels
Formerly of

Christopher Branford Bell (January 12, 1951 – December 27, 1978) was an American musician and singer-songwriter. Along with Alex Chilton, he led the power pop band Big Star through its first album #1 Record (1972). He also pursued a solo career throughout the mid-1970s, resulting in the posthumous I Am the Cosmos LP.

AllMusic Guide praised Bell as "one of the unsung heroes of American pop music" and noted his lasting impression, saying: "Despite a life marked by tragedy and a career crippled by commercial indifference, the singer/songwriter's slim body of recorded work proved massively influential on the generations of indie rockers who emerged in his wake."[1]

Bell's catalog of proto-alternative rock has inspired the likes of Beck, R.E.M., Teenage Fanclub, Pixies, Primal Scream, Afghan Whigs, Pete Yorn, Wilco, The Posies, and The Replacements, all of whom have covered his music or expressed their admiration for Big Star in the press.

His life was documented in the acclaimed documentary Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me, released in 2013 by Magnolia Pictures.

Bell's life, and the career of Big Star, was documented in the 2018 book There Was a Light: The Cosmic History of Chris Bell and the Rise of Big Star. The 400-page oral-history style bio contains rare interviews with Bell, his bandmates, friends, family and notable fans.[2]

  1. ^ "Chris Bell - Biography & History - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
  2. ^ "New Book & Box Set to Detail Short, Brilliant Career of Big Star's Chris Bell: Exclusive Chapter & Song Premiere". Billboard. Retrieved 18 December 2018.