Steve Bell | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Born | [1] Calgary, Alberta, Canada [2] | November 17, 1960
Origin | Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada |
Genres | Folk |
Occupation(s) | Performer, songwriter, producer |
Instrument(s) | Guitar, vocals |
Labels | Signpost |
Website | www |
Steve Bell, C.M., [3] O.M., [4] (born November 17, 1960) is a Canadian singer/songwriter and guitarist based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. He is among the best-known Christian musicians in Canada and is an accomplished songwriter and record producer. Before embarking on his solo career he was a long-time member of the group Elias, Schritt and Bell. In 1989, Bell founded the independent recording label Signpost Music along with Dave Zeglinski, long-time friend and co-producer. His first solo album, Comfort My People, was released on Signpost that same year. Bell now has twenty albums to his credit. Among his many awards are two Junos, several GMA Canada Covenant Awards and the 2012 Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.
Steve Bell has been performing music since childhood. His recording career began at 13 when his family's gospel band, The Alf Bell Family Singers, recorded an LP. The album contains some of his earliest songwriting. After graduating from high school he was a member of a succession of bands playing a number of different musical genres. For three years he played with the secular folk trio Elias, Schritt and Bell, [5] along with Tim Elias and John Schritt. [2] [6] The group released one commercial studio album, Awakening, in 1982. Bell quit the band and performed with various artists (Rocki Rolletti, Rhonda Hart, Byron O'Donnell, Bob King) until 1988 when he withdrew from performing. It was during this period that his childhood Christian faith became reanimated and over a six-month period wrote most of the material for his first four solo projects. [2] [7] Faced with a lack of interest from established labels he formed the Indie record label Signpost Music in 1989 and released his first solo album. [8] The first edition of Comfort My People comprised 300 Cassettes. [9]
Bell has gone on to release twenty solo albums, selling over 400,000 copies independently. His tours have taken him all over North America and the world (2000+ concerts). [10] In 1994 Signpost Music received a boost when Bell became business partners with his co-producer Dave Zeglinski. Bell was the Juno Awards' first winner in the Best Gospel Album category in 1998. That category was created from the former Blues/Gospel Album category, which represented the industry's recognition of Contemporary Christian Music in Canada. [11]
Since then, Bell has gone on to release 20 albums, 4 concert DVDs, 5 songbooks, a co-authored book on the Psalms, and a 7-book series on the Christian calendar called Pilgrim Year. His work has earned him two JUNOs, four Western Canadian Music Awards, three Prairie Music Awards, eleven Gospel Music Association Covenant Awards (including Male Vocalist of the Year, Recorded Song of the Year, Album of the Year, and the 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award), and many more nominations. He has won three Word Awards for his poetry, song lyrics, and magazine articles. Bell's most recent feature-length album, Where the Good Way Lies (released on LP and DVD) included collaborations with local Indigenous singers Ray “Coco” Stevenson and Fresh I.E., was nominated for a 2017 JUNO Award for Contemporary Christian/Gospel Album of the Year.
In 2006 Bell was invited to perform with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. Scores were created by jazz pianist and composer Mike Janzen. Since then, Bell has performed 30 sold-out or capacity-crowd concerts with symphonies across Canada and the United States. Bell's concert DVD, Steve Bell in Concert with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, won a 2009 International Christian Visual Media Gold Crown Award for Best Music Video. [12] For his "skill, his musicality, for his connection with the symphony, and for his openness" [13] Steve was awarded the Winnipeg Symphony Golden Baton Award in 2013.
In 2014, Bell was the subject of a documentary by Refuge31 Films entitled Burning Ember: The Steve Bell Journey, for which a film crew followed Steve across North America to chronicle the many ups and downs of life in the music industry. The documentary has won numerous awards and has been broadcast in Canada (CBC's Documentary Channel) [14] and worldwide.
Amidst his regular touring schedule, Bell has worked on behalf of aid organizations such as World Vision, Compassion Canada, and the Canadian Foodgrains Bank. His advocacy efforts have helped raise awareness and significant financial support. A close association with the National Roundtable on Homelessness and Poverty has helped draw attention to the plight of Canada's marginalized. Having traveled extensively in the Third World, Bell spreads hope via his music and message to communities in India, Thailand, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Ethiopia, Palestine, Kenya, Guatemala, and many other countries.
In recent years, Bell has used his platform to advocate for the building of Freedom Road, [15] a 27-kilometre road that ended a century of isolation for the people of Shoal Lake 40 First Nation. [16] He has also been a strong voice urging the Canadian government to adopt Bill C-262, an act that would ensure that Canadian laws are in harmony with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Bell's "effort for the sake of Indigenous communities" which has "brought together many Indigenous, church, political and other groups of people, including students," [17] was a major impetus for Canadian Mennonite University's selection of him as their 2018 CMU PAX Award recipient. [18] Crandall University also presented Bell with their 2017 Leadership Award "for an extraordinary career of sustained artistic excellence, spiritual vitality, and open-handed generosity to others." [19]
Awakening(as Elias, Schritt and Bell)
Comfort My People(review [20] )
Deep Calls to Deep
Burning Ember(review [21] )
The Feast of Seasons(Christmas seasonal; review [22] )
Romantics & Mystics (review [23] )
Beyond a Shadow(review [24] )
Steve Bell Band Live in Concert(US version titled Each Rare Moment; review [25] )
Simple Songs (review [26] )
Waiting for Aidan(review [27] )
Sons & Daughters(with daughter Sarah Bell [28] )
Solace for Seasons of Suffering(review [29] )
My Dinner with Bruce(reviews [30] [31] )
Story and Song (vol. 1)(review [32] )
Symphony Sessions(reviews [33] [34] )
Devotion(worship album; review [35] )
Kindness
Keening for the Dawn(Meditations on Advent, Christmastide and Epiphany)
Pilgrimage(A Four Disc Box Set Celebrating 25 Years; Includes Essay by John Stackhouse Jr.)
I Will Not Be Shaken: Psalms Collection(A companion to the book "I Will Not Be Shaken: A Songwriter's Journey Through the Psalms" by Jamie Howison and Steve Bell)
Where the Good Way Lies(released on LP and CD)
Wouldn't You Love to Know?(released on LP and CD)
Note that years indicated represent award ceremony dates, not the years in which qualifying albums were released.
Gold Crown Award
Gospel Music Association of Canada Covenant Awards
Shai/Vibe Awards [44]
Western Canadian Music Awards [45]
Word Awards [46]
Other
Sanctus Real is an American Christian rock band formed in Toledo, Ohio, in 1996. The group is composed of Chris Rohman, Mark Graalman (drums), and Dustin Lolli. The band is best known for their number one singles "Lead Me", "Forgiven", "Whatever You're Doing", "I'm Not Alright", "Don't Give Up", "We Need Each Other", "Everything About You", and "The Fight Song". Since 2002, they have released five albums through the Sparrow Records label, an independent EP This Is Love, and "Changed" on Framework Records.
Hawk Nelson was a Canadian Christian pop-punk band from Peterborough, Ontario. Formed in 2000, the band has released eight studio albums. Bassist/backing vocalist Daniel Biro was the band's only founding member to remain throughout their entire history.
Sandra Faye "Sandi" Patty is an American Christian music singer, known for her wide soprano vocal range and expressive flexibility.
Thousand Foot Krutch is a Canadian Christian rock band formed in Peterborough, Ontario, in 1995. The band has released ten studio albums, two live albums, and three remix albums. The core members consist of founding member Trevor McNevan, Steve Augustine (drums), and Joel Bruyere.
DeGarmo & Key was a Christian rock band/duo formed in 1977 by Eddie DeGarmo and Dana Key. The group is notable for having the first Christian rock album nominated for a Grammy award and the first American Christian group to have a video entered into MTVs rotation. They are also noted as being among the first groups to raise the level of technical excellence to match general market releases of the time. While the group played blues based rock with a minor British progressive rock influence, they migrated to a more pop and rock style as time went on. DeGarmo played keyboards and sang background vocals, while Key played lead guitar and did the majority of the lead vocals. The other musicians at the time of formation in the late 70s were John Hamptone, David Spain, Max Richardson and Terry Moxley (drums) along with Joe Hardy and Ken Porter (bass). Later members included Tommy Cathey on bass (1982), Greg Morrow on drums as well as Tony Pilcher on rhythm and second lead guitar. Some of their more notable hits include: "Destined to Win", "Let the Whole World Sing", "Six, Six, Six", "Boycott Hell", "Every Moment" and "Casual Christian". The group is also noted for their albums Streetlight (1986), D&K (1987), and The Pledge (1989). Other musicians who have recorded or toured with DeGarmo & Key include Kenny Porter (bass), Kevin Rodell (drums), Chuck Reynolds (drums), Steve Taylor (guitar) and Mark Pogue (guitar). The group was nominated for seven Grammy Awards and five Dove Awards DeGarmo and Key disbanded in 1995.
Carolyn Arends is a Canadian contemporary Christian musician, songwriter, and author. She is based in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada.
Ayiesha Woods is a contemporary Christian musician signed to Gotee Records. She has released two studio albums on Gotee: Introducing Ayiesha Woods (2006) and Love Like This (2008). Woods is known for the hit songs "Happy" and "Big Enough" from her debut album. Her musical style is a distinct mix of several genres, predominantly including pop, soul, urban and rock.
Jon Buller is a Contemporary Christian artist from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. He now resides in Vernon, British Columbia. He was previously working as Pastor of Worship and the Arts for 12 years at Vernon Alliance Church, a position he began in August 2005. Buller founded and is the Executive Director for Hear the Music Ministries (HTM) in 1999; HTM is "committed to discipling and developing emerging Christian musicians, expressing worship through music."
The Covenant Awards are awarded to the Canadian gospel music industry by GMA Canada, the Gospel Music Association of Canada. The association is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote the growth and ministry of Christian music in Canada. The ceremonies are held annually in cities across the nation.
Lianna Klassen is a Canadian Christian Celtic and Christian New Age-influenced musician, songwriter, speaker and worship leader. A Juno Award nominee and GMA Canada Covenant Award winner, Klassen has released seven albums to date. Her compositions are chants, hymns and meditations on the themes of praise, prayer and worship. Stylistically they have also included Christmas carols, contemporary praise, country music and Christian folk. Notable songs written by Lianna include: "Song for Canada", "I will Not Be Silent" and "Song of Declaration."
The View From Here is American singer Bob Bennett's seventh album, and is the third release in Signpost Music's "Livingroom Series" releases. Bob dedicated this release to his mother, Betty Jane Bennett. As originally envisioned, the CD's release was to have included a CD booklet insert with notes from Bob about each song; however, cost constraints prevented this from occurring.
Beauty in the Broken is the third album released by the Christian music band Starfield. It was a 2007 Juno Award nominee for Contemporary Christian/Gospel Album of the Year. The album includes the song "Son of God" recorded with Chris Tomlin. The single "Everything is Beautiful" was the 17th most played song on Christian Hit Radio in 2007.
David B. Moody is an artist, producer, songwriter and filmmaker from North Carolina. His instrumental proficiency has earned him two Grammy Award Nominations and three International CMA Awards as a member of The Moody Brothers. After becoming regular performers on the Grand Ole Opry and touring extensively throughout Europe in the 80s, the trio of Carolina brothers signed a contract with the Walt Disney Company in 1992 to open and perform their own nightly concerts at Disneyland Paris' Disney Village, where they performed for over 50 million guests during their time in France.
Jacob Moon is a solo Canadian folk singer/songwriter and guitarist based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. He has an extensive repertoire of songs, with nine albums to his credit. He has won many accolades and has been invited to perform for and with some of his heroes, including Rush, Marillion, Ron Sexsmith and Gordon Lightfoot. Moon's famous YouTube cover of Rush's Subdivisions went viral in 2009 and has earned him many fans around the world.
Kerri Woelke is a Folk/Roots/Alt-Country singer-songwriter from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. She is currently represented by Signpost Music.
Ali Matthews is a Canadian Contemporary Christian musician and songwriter from Stratford, Ontario, Canada.
Hillary Dawn Scott-Tyrrell is an American singer and songwriter who rose to fame as the co-lead vocalist of the country music group Lady A. She is signed to Big Machine Records.
Glen Soderholm is a Canadian, singer-songwriter, minister, praise and worship leader, speaker and teacher based in Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
Simple Songs is the eighth album by Steve Bell. The album won the Juno Award for Best Gospel Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2001.
Brian Mark Johnson is an American contemporary worship musician and worship pastor. He is the president and co-founder of Bethel Music, as well as a member of its Artist Collective and is one-half of the husband-and-wife worship duo, Brian & Jenn Johnson. He is also a senior worship pastor at Bethel Church in Redding, California, and a Senior Overseer of WorshipU, an online school of worship under Bethel Music, which he co-founded with Jenn Johnson.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)