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ARTIST
Doug "The Professor" Bell is a singer-songwriter, plays guitar and ukulele, and he is the front man and bandleader of "Bellevue Cadillac" a band that Doug started in 1991. This band has been performing, recording and touring the world for 19 years. Their music is a mixture of Jazz, Blues, Swing, Soul, and Gospel on top of Rock & Roll.
Doug picked up the guitar and started playing at the age of 11. He has been in many bands including "The Merits" (1966), "Bitter Almond" (1970), "Bigbucks" (1972), and "The Numbers" (1977). When he started out he was a guitarist first, then turned songwriter, then returned to guitar to hone his skills into a lead guitarist.
During his four decade musical career he has written most of the original music for the bands he has played in. During this time he took some side trips as a folk singer, a blues guitarist, as well as a career as a retailer of musical instruments.
The Professor was elected president of the "Boston's Blues Society" in 1996 and was the commentator for the Television Premier of A Tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughan, which featured Six Strings Down, a song written as a eulogy for Stevie Ray Vaughan. This show featured performances of Stevie Ray Vaughan's music by his brother Jimmie Vaughan and music legends Eric Clapton, Bonnie Raitt, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Robert Cray, Dr. John, Art Neville and others.
To date Doug's Bellevue Cadillac songs have been recorded on 23 CDs, have been used on TV Commercials, 18 Television Shows, used in Motion Pictures, heard in Broadway Plays, turned into digital Karaoke and covered by other music artists. As of 2009 Bellevue Cadillac has songs on 17 Compilation CDs being heard right along with such artists as Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Prima, Louis Jordan, Sammy Davis Jr., Peggy Lee, Brian Setzer, Joe Jackson, Cab Calloway, Mel Torme, Rita Coolidge, Eva Cassidy, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, and many others.
Bellevue Cadillac started in 1991 when Doug Bell was going through a multi-million dollar bankruptcy. The Real Estate empire that Doug worked in was in shambles and Doug had no creative outlet, so he dusted off his guitar and wrote a series of songs about what happens to people when they lose everything. After writing his new songs, he assembled some of his childhood musician friends to bring his songs to life, then he looked for a vocalist who could deliver the true emotion of his heartfelt lyrics.
Thus Bellevue Cadillac was born when all of these elements came together in a Milford, Massachusetts, music store. During their after-hour sessions Doug's music came alive with echoes of an American Road trip starting with New Orleans Jazz and ending up with Blue-eyed Soul. The Cadillac rolled off the assembly line and never stopped rolling down the music highway. Soon after they took their American Music Show on the road, they began touring China, Japan, South America, Moscow (Russia), then the next stop was signing a record deal.
Bellevue Cadillac was introduced to Island Records and Rob Fraboni, while backstage at the Rolling Stones
Voodoo Lounge Tour (1994-1995).
Rob Fraboni was vice-president of Island Records in New York. He is also a skilled sound engineer and executive producer of famous recording artist such as Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Keith Richards, Bonnie Raitt, Robert Palmer, The Beach Boys, John Lennon, Allen Ginsberg, The Band, B.B. King, Joe Cocker, Bob Marley, Phoebe Snow and a long list of other recording artists.
The Bellevue Cadillac began pre-production with Rob Fraboni on their CD "Black & White". It was released on "Ardeo Records" in 1995 to great magazine reviews, not only for it's music, but also for the Production Quality of their digital mastering using High Definition Compatible Digital (HDCD) Technology.
Black & White was hailed as a near masterpiece by The Boston Phoenix newspaper, "Pulse" magazine, Rolling Stone magazine.
Stereophile magazine and by a well known music reviewer Ted Drozdowski. The CD's Cover Artwork, was controversial at first, but eventually won an award for it. It also earned a page in the 100 BEST Album Covers book written by Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey Powell.
Unfortunately Ardeo Records was a short lived record label, and Bellevue Cadillac continued on down the music highway in search of new horizons...
In 2004 Bellevue Cadillac added Charlie Sorrento (A.K.A. 'Moose' and 'The Count') as their featured lead singer and keyboard player to the band's lineup. He is an Associate Professor and vocal coach at the renowned Berklee College of Music. He's also the Legendary lead singer of the Colwell Winfield Blues Band, the band who played on Van Morrison's Moondance album.
LIVE PERFORMANCES
Doug Bell and Bellevue Cadillac have appeared and/or performed with Jack Nicholson, Bill Murray, Joe Pesci, Steven Tyler, Aerosmith, Kenny Rogers, Matt Damon, Tara Reid, Shannen Elizibeth, James Cotton, The James Montgomery Blues Band, Huey Lewis, Kim Wilson, J. Geils, Ray Charles, James Brown, Tito Puente, Patty Austin, Kool and the Gang, Ruth Brown, Percy Sledge, Keith Richards, Bo Diddley, and many more...
Bellevue Cadillac performed at the Premier Party for the 10-Hour, 10-Part, television mini-series titled Rock & Roll (1995) held at the Hard Rock Cafe. This began an eight year relationship with the Hard Rock Corporation. They own 158 venues in more than 53 countries around the world, including 128 Hard Rock Cafes and 12 Hotels and Casinos.
Doug Bell and Bellevue Cadillac will go down in history as the band that turned down the chance to perform at John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette’s secret wedding in 1996. Why? Because the band wanted to honor a previously booked show elsewhere. Which shows their integrity as first-class gentlemen and professional performers. They stood by, a promise is a promise, even if a better opportunity might come along. As a result of this Bellevue Cadillac received national acclaim for honoring their commitment. They were front page news on Access Hollywood, Hard Copy, People Magazine, Life Magazine, The National Enquirer newspaper, and on The Today Show, VH1, Showbiz Today, etc... The News media and TV shows couldn't believe a band would turn down such a prestigious event with the Kennedy's.
Bellevue Cadillac headlined in 2000 at The Clearwater Jazz Holiday Festival with a crowd of 30,000 people. It was captured Live and they gave the only encore after a standing ovation at the week-long festival.
During the Boston Nor'easter in December 2002, Bellevue Cadillac recorded their Christmas Show "Live at The Regent" Theatre in Arlington, MA. This Live CD featured two hours of music and it was the first time an audience got to hear the new songs off of their upcoming Studio CD.
During their first tour of China in 2003 the band performed five shows. The first show was for the "American Chamber of Commerce" in Shanghai. This was the kickoff groundbreaking for the 2008 Summer Olympics $423 million Beijing National Stadium. The band did four more shows at "The ARK Live House", located in Xintiandi, Shanghai, China, which is a very well-known Japanese owned tourist music attraction. It was a very stressful tour. It really took it out of the band members, you know, having to stay in a deluxe suite at the Portman Ritz-Carlton Hotel, and spending their days off exploring the old city of Shanghai and the Yangtze River, but, hey, someone had to do it.
In 2004 Bellevue Cadillac was chosen to represent the United States on the World Music Stage in Centre City Moscow, Russia! They were historically the 1st Swing Orchestra to have ever played in Russia and the Soviet Union. They were truly honored.
They also played several shows for the Democratic National Convention in Boston.
They made it to the Top 10 and were Live on Showtime TV in 2005.
In 2010 Bellevue Cadillac did 13 CONSECUTIVE SOLD OUT SHOWS in Greece and the Island of Crete. They performed at The Half Note Jazz Club, in Athens Greece from December 28, 2009 to January 7, 2010. This is one of the most famous Jazz venues in Europe, located in Athens, Greece. It was here that they recorded a NEW Live CD on New Year's Eve 2010. The CD is titled "Once in a Blue Moon" and features 5 new songs.
MOTION PICTURES AND TELEVISION
Plus they have been on other World-Wide Television Networks. Today you can watch a collection of Bellevue Cadillac streaming videos on our Music Videos Web Page.
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| This Web Site Opened 11-08-09 Last Revised 11-18-17 Copyright 2009-2017 ~ All Rights Reserved
The Contact for Doug Bell, Management, Webmaster and Promotions is Richard Axtman ~ Northern Music Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/richard.axtman E-mail: northernmusic@yahoo.com |
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