Rico Bell
Encyclopedia
Rico Bell is a UK and California
based artist and musician best known for his work as a member of the British punk rock band the Mekons which he joined in 1983. A singer and multi-instrumentalist with the Mekons, Bell has also released three well-received solo recordings with the Chicago-based alternative country label, Bloodshot Records
: The Return of Rico Bell (1995), Dark Side of the Mersey (1999) and Been a Long Time (2002).
and Tom Greenhalgh
), Bell has created and exhibited art in the U.K. and U.S. as the collective Mekons for such projects as Mekons United (1996), OOOH! (2001), Art-Tube 01 (2001), and Hello Cruel World (2002). In addition, he performed with the rest of the band in Vito Acconci
’s Theater Project for a Rock Band as part of the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Next Wave Festival in 1995 and collaborated with Kathy Acker on her lesbian pirate operetta Pussy, King of the Pirates at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, a production for which he also created and constructed the stage design.
A graduate of the Wallasey School of Arts and Crafts near Liverpool
, Bell’s own art has evolved stylistically over the years but remains primarily focused upon figurative painting. Much of his work has been influenced by British and American folk art
of the 18th and 19th Centuries and he has developed a variety of techniques to "age" the paintings, making the portraits appear old like the original naive paintings appear today. His themes are often rooted in nature, work and community and have featured the rural milieus of his native England, while much of his recent work features imagery from his adopted home of California and the American West and portray subjects such as farm workers, cattle herders and farm animals. His work has been exhibited in galleries and museums in the U.S. and U.K. including the Royal Academy
in London and he has contributed illustrations to a number of publications including The New Yorker
magazine.
While working on his painting and music after art school, Bell lived an itinerant life working on farms and riding, raising, and selling horses and, later, enjoyed a successful career as a museum and gallery exhibition designer in England. In the 1970s he was a regular performer at The Lamp Light in Wallasey, a club catering to the contemporary folk scene. Another regular performer there was a young musician from nearby Birkenhead
named Declan MacManus who later found fame as Elvis Costello
.
Like Costello and many other British musicians at the time, Bell’s music changed as the 1970s progressed and the punk revolution exploded. After moving to Bristol and forming a punk/new-wave band, recording vocals for a solo album by Martin Barre of Jethro Tull
and doing some session singing in London, Bell toured with the Leeds-based Goth band, The March Violets
, in the early 1980s.
In 1983, Bell began singing and playing accordion with the Mekons and was on the band’s first U.S. tour in 1986 but stopped touring regularly with the band soon afterward. In 1995 he was back on the road and his contributions are found on every Mekons release since 1984 except Retreat from Memphis (1994). In addition, his music and vocals can be found on a number of compilation releases from Bloodshot Records.
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
based artist and musician best known for his work as a member of the British punk rock band the Mekons which he joined in 1983. A singer and multi-instrumentalist with the Mekons, Bell has also released three well-received solo recordings with the Chicago-based alternative country label, Bloodshot Records
Bloodshot Records
Bloodshot Records is an independent record label based in Chicago, Illinois which specializes in roots-inflected indie rock, punk blues, and a Chicago brand of outlaw country...
: The Return of Rico Bell (1995), Dark Side of the Mersey (1999) and Been a Long Time (2002).
Biography
Along with three other members of the Mekons (Kevin Lycett, Jon LangfordJon Langford
Jon Langford born October 11, 1957, Newport, Monmouthshire is a Welsh-born musician and artist who is presently based in Chicago. He is the younger brother of science-fiction author and critic David Langford...
and Tom Greenhalgh
Tom Greenhalgh
Thomas Charles Greenhalgh is a multimedia artist and singer-songwriter best known for his work with the Mekons.-Education:...
), Bell has created and exhibited art in the U.K. and U.S. as the collective Mekons for such projects as Mekons United (1996), OOOH! (2001), Art-Tube 01 (2001), and Hello Cruel World (2002). In addition, he performed with the rest of the band in Vito Acconci
Vito Acconci
Vito Hannibal Acconci is a Bronx, New York-born, Brooklyn-based designer, landscape architect, performance and installation artist.-Education:...
’s Theater Project for a Rock Band as part of the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Next Wave Festival in 1995 and collaborated with Kathy Acker on her lesbian pirate operetta Pussy, King of the Pirates at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, a production for which he also created and constructed the stage design.
A graduate of the Wallasey School of Arts and Crafts near Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, Bell’s own art has evolved stylistically over the years but remains primarily focused upon figurative painting. Much of his work has been influenced by British and American folk art
Folk art
Folk art encompasses art produced from an indigenous culture or by peasants or other laboring tradespeople. In contrast to fine art, folk art is primarily utilitarian and decorative rather than purely aesthetic....
of the 18th and 19th Centuries and he has developed a variety of techniques to "age" the paintings, making the portraits appear old like the original naive paintings appear today. His themes are often rooted in nature, work and community and have featured the rural milieus of his native England, while much of his recent work features imagery from his adopted home of California and the American West and portray subjects such as farm workers, cattle herders and farm animals. His work has been exhibited in galleries and museums in the U.S. and U.K. including the Royal Academy
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
in London and he has contributed illustrations to a number of publications including The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
magazine.
While working on his painting and music after art school, Bell lived an itinerant life working on farms and riding, raising, and selling horses and, later, enjoyed a successful career as a museum and gallery exhibition designer in England. In the 1970s he was a regular performer at The Lamp Light in Wallasey, a club catering to the contemporary folk scene. Another regular performer there was a young musician from nearby Birkenhead
Birkenhead
Birkenhead is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. It is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite the city of Liverpool...
named Declan MacManus who later found fame as Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
.
Like Costello and many other British musicians at the time, Bell’s music changed as the 1970s progressed and the punk revolution exploded. After moving to Bristol and forming a punk/new-wave band, recording vocals for a solo album by Martin Barre of Jethro Tull
Jethro Tull (band)
Jethro Tull are a British rock group formed in 1967. Their music is characterised by the vocals, acoustic guitar, and flute playing of Ian Anderson, who has led the band since its founding, and the guitar work of Martin Barre, who has been with the band since 1969.Initially playing blues rock with...
and doing some session singing in London, Bell toured with the Leeds-based Goth band, The March Violets
The March Violets
The March Violets are an English goth rock band of the 1980s, incorporating singers of both sexes, drum machine rhythms and echo laden electric guitar, much in the way of scene mates The Sisters of Mercy, who also originated from the city of Leeds...
, in the early 1980s.
In 1983, Bell began singing and playing accordion with the Mekons and was on the band’s first U.S. tour in 1986 but stopped touring regularly with the band soon afterward. In 1995 he was back on the road and his contributions are found on every Mekons release since 1984 except Retreat from Memphis (1994). In addition, his music and vocals can be found on a number of compilation releases from Bloodshot Records.