A pioneer of the Stax/Volt sound, William Bell made his presence first known with the gracefully delivered country soul of “You Don’t Miss Your Water” in 1961. Military service then delayed his career until the late ‘60s. Upon returning, he resumed working with the M.G’s and the Memphis Horns. A hit came in ’68 with “I Forgot to be Your Lover” (later mangled by Billy Idol into “To be a Lover”). A constant believer in the southern sound, he started up labels like Peachtree and Wilbe that carried slicker versions of soul into the ‘70s and ‘80s.
