Why wasn't Maggie Bell a big star?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by BroJB, Oct 12, 2017.

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  1. BroJB

    BroJB Large Marge sent me. Thread Starter

    Location:
    New Orleans
    Sitting here listening to her wonderful Queen of the Night LP and can't help wondering why Maggie Bell didn't ever break through. She was really good with a strong, soulful voice. She had the best producers (starting with Jerry Wexler) and was managed by Peter Grant.

    Hard to fathom how it didn't happen in a big way for her. But she deserves a bit of forum love and here it is.

    Well done, Maggie.
     
  2. I think she came along too late when most had moved on from that Janis and Aretha soulful sound, and thought of it being part of the past.
     
  3. sentinel90125

    sentinel90125 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Virginia, USA
    I haven't heard much of her stuff, but really liked the song "It's a Lovely Life" w/ Rick Wakeman for Ken Russel's "Crimes of Passion".
     
  4. BroJB

    BroJB Large Marge sent me. Thread Starter

    Location:
    New Orleans
    yeah that makes sense. she also was given a mixed bag of material to work with.
     
  5. spice9

    spice9 Senior Member

    Location:
    New York, NY
    Covering a Beatles song like I Saw Her Standing There, and not a great version at that, doesn't exactly make you a star.
     
    Dudley Morris likes this.
  6. Yeah, and she had serious chops and rock credentials which might got lost in the material and the production. She would have been better off plowing the soul rock blues field she started with Stone the Crows and maybe guesting with Dewar building a larger name ala Denny did with 'Evermore'. BUt with Grant as manager a Zep or Bad Co cameo would have done the trick and who know s what the two unreleased solo albums are like... She probably would have had some success with crunchy catchy hardrock ala Bad Co. Elkie Brooks is another that comes to mind.
     
    Last edited: Oct 12, 2017
  7. Ethan B

    Ethan B Forum Resident

    Location:
    san diego
    Wasn't a good looker like Stevie or Linda. Vocals were a bit gruff too.
     
  8. Dhreview16

    Dhreview16 Forum Resident

    Location:
    London UK
    She was very well known and popular over here, with her work with groups like Stone The Crows. She seemed to pop up a lot on our main TV rock show of the time, the Old Grey Whistle Test.
     
  9. bob60

    bob60 Forum Resident

    Location:
    London UK
  10. vamborules

    vamborules Forum Resident

    Location:
    CT
    There's some stuff about this in the Barney Hoskyns Led Zeppelin book. Basically Grant was too busy with Zeppelin and Bad Company to really focus on her career, but he also wouldn't let anyone else do it for him. So she just ended up hanging around the Swan Song office waiting for something to happen. And nothing really did.
     
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