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An electric guitar legend has passed away. Vincent "Vinnie" Bell died in his sleep, just after midnight on October 3rd, 2019, in Utica, NY, according to his wife, Bonnie. He had been suffering from the effects of Alzheimer's Disease for several years.
If you aren't familiar with the name, "Vinnie Bell", you certainly have heard his guitar on hit records from the '60s and '70s. He played guitar on recordings for artists as diverse such as The Four Seasons, Frank Sinatra, Dionne Warwick, Herman's Hermits, Bing Crosby, The Cowsills, Perry Como, The Drifters, Bob Dylan, The Shangri-Las, Rupert Holmes, Jean-Jacques Perrey, and Quincy Jones.
As a "first-call" session guitarist, Vincent Bell played on hundreds of commercials, and on scores of film soundtracks. His film score work ranged from "The Godfather", to "The Devil in Miss Jones", and even "The Muppet's Christmas Carol". In the very early 60's, he started out as a member of the bands, The Ramrods, and The Gallahads. Shortly after that, he was briefly a member of the highly successful The Three Suns. After starting a family, he decided to only do session work, mostly working out of New York City, but also sometimes flying to Los Angeles for sessions, when producers there specifically requested him. It was not uncommon for Bell to play on 3-5 recording sessions a day, at the height of his success.
In 1965, Bell played electric guitar on Simon and Garfunkle's "The Sounds of Silence", a recording that actually helped launch their remarkable musical career. Throughout the years, Bell occasionally did live club and stage work with artists such as Peggy Lee, Sinatra, Barbra Streisand and others.
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