{{Short description|American guitarist (1932–2019)}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = Vinnie Bell | image = Vinnie Bell (Universal Newsreel, Sept 67).jpg | alt = Black-and-white photo of guitarist wearing a suit while playing in the studio | caption = Bell playing the Coral electric sitar in 1967 | background = non_vocal_instrumentalist | birth_name = Vincent Edward Gambella | alias = Vincent Bell | birth_date = {{birth date|1932|07|28|mf=y}} | birth_place = Brooklyn, New York, U.S. | death_date = {{Death date and age|2019|10|03|1932|07|28}} | death_place = Tenafly, New Jersey, U.S. | instruments = {{hlist|Guitar|electric sitar|mandolin|banjo}} | genre = Pop music | years_active = 1955–2019 | label = | associated_acts = | website = {{url|www.vinniebell.com/}} }}
'''Vincent Edward Gambella''' (July 28, 1932 – October 3, 2019),<ref name="Obituary">{{cite news|url=https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/northjersey/obituary.aspx?n=vincent-e-gambella&pid=194114440&fhid=13169|title=Vincent E. Gambella 1932 - 2019|website=Legacy.com|access-date=January 25, 2020}}</ref> known as '''Vinnie Bell''', was an American session guitarist, instrument designer and pioneer of electronic effects in pop music.<ref name=spaceagep[op>{{Cite book |title=Tricks and special effects : the player's guide to unusual sounds and techniques |last=Fiks |first=Ethan |date=1998 |publisher=Alfred Pub. Co |isbn=0882849581 |location=Van Nuys, CA |oclc=42001348}}</ref><ref name=spaceagepop>{{Cite web |url=https://www.spaceagepop.com/bell.htm |title=Vinnie Bell |website=Spaceagepop.com |access-date=2019-06-23}}</ref>
==Life and career== Vinnie Bell was born in Brooklyn, New York City, and studied guitar from childhood.<ref name="Obituary"/> He made his first recordings as a session musician on singles by such instrumental groups as the Overtones and the Gallahads, and played in nightclubs in New York City in the late 1950s.<ref name=spaceagepop/> During this time, he developed his characteristic "watery" guitar sound, popular in instrumental recordings in the 1960s.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Passport to the future : the amazing life and sounds of electronic pop music pioneer Jean-Jacques Perrey |last=Countryman |first=Dana |date=2010 |publisher=Sterling Swan Press |others=Young, Frank M. |isbn=9781453865873 |location=Everett, Wa |oclc=757178430}}</ref> By 1962, Bell decided to devote his energies to working as a studio musician in New York and Los Angeles.<ref name="backbeat books" /> In 1963, he did a session with the French Jean-Jacques Perrey for Kai Winding, in which he played the guitar and Perrey played the Ondioline. After that Vinnie along with Perrey recorded several successful commercials, when Jean-Jacques got a contract with the Vanguard Records label. Perrey asked him to be the lead guitarist for his recording sessions as "E.V.A." from ''Moog Indigo'' (1970).<ref>{{cite web |title=Welcome to Vinnie Bell .com! |url=http://www.danacountryman.com/vinnie/main.htm |website=Dana Countryman |access-date=22 December 2021}}</ref>
He also helped design a number of electric guitar models with the company Danelectro for its Coral line of instruments, including the "Bellzouki" electric 12-string guitar,<ref name="backbeat books">{{Cite book |title=Rickenbacker electric 12 string : the story of the guitars, the music, and the great players |last=Bacon |first=Tony |date=2010 |publisher=Backbeat Books |isbn=9780879309886 |edition=1st |location=Milwaukee, WI |oclc=432407412}}</ref> and the electric sitar,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.premierguitar.com/articles/23392-danelectro-baby-sitar-review |title=Danelectro Baby Sitar Review |date=December 7, 2015 |first=Charles |last=Saufley |website=Premierguitar.com |language=en |access-date=2019-06-23}}</ref> which was used, not necessarily by Bell, on such hits as "Cry Like a Baby" by The Box Tops, "Green Tambourine" by The Lemon Pipers, and a cover of Alfred Newman's love theme from the 1970 film, ''Airport''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://api.discogs.com/artists/353572 |title=Vinnie Bell |website=Discogs |language=en |access-date=2019-06-23}}</ref> The last of these sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc.<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs">{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/274 |title=The Book of Golden Discs |last=Murrells |first=Joseph |publisher=Barrie and Jenkins Ltd |year=1978 |isbn=0-214-20512-6 |edition=2nd |location=London |page=[https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/274 274] }}</ref> It also won a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition in 1971, while Bell was nominated for Best Instrumental Performance.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.grammy.com/grammys/artists/vincent-bell |title=Vincent Bell |date=2019-06-04 |website=GRAMMY.com |language=en |access-date=2019-06-23}}{{dead link|date=February 2026|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>
As well as being notable for his technical innovations, Bell worked extensively as a session player, playing on tracks such as "The Sounds of Silence" by Simon & Garfunkel<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/studiostorieshow00simo |title=Studio stories : how the great New York records were made : from Miles to Madonna, Sinatra to the Ramones |last=Simons |first=Dave |date=2004 |publisher=Backbeat Books |isbn=0879308176 |edition=1st |location=San Francisco, Calif. |oclc=57543979}}</ref> and for artists such as the Four Seasons<ref name=":0" /> and Bob Dylan, specifically his ''Desire'' album.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.guitarplayer.com/players/the-top-30-12-string-guitar-songs-of-all-time |title=The Top 30 12-String Guitar Songs of All Time |first1=Damian |last1=Fanelli |first2=Josh |last2=Hart |website=GuitarPlayer.com |language=en-us |access-date=2019-06-23 |archive-date=2018-07-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180708112349/https://www.guitarplayer.com/players/the-top-30-12-string-guitar-songs-of-all-time |url-status=dead }}</ref> He also recorded occasionally under his own name, his albums including ''The Soundtronic Guitar of Vincent Bell'' (Independent Record Company, 1960), ''Whistle Stop'' (Verve, 1964), and ''Pop Goes the Electric Sitar'' (Decca, 1967).<ref name=spaceagepop/>
He died on October 3, 2019, at the age of 87.<ref name="Obituary" />
==Discography== === Albums === * ''The Soundtronic Guitar of Vincent Bell'' (1959) * ''Whistle Stop'' (Verve, 1964) * ''Big Sixteen Guitar Favorites'' (Musicor, 1965) * ''Pop Goes the Electric Sitar'' (Decca, 1967) * ''Good Morning Starshine'' (Decca, 1969) * ''Airport Love Theme'' (Decca, 1970) (Peaked at No. 75 on the ''Billboard'' Top LPs)<ref name="Whitburn">{{cite book | last = Whitburn | first = Joel | title = Top LPs, 1955–1972 | year = 1973 | publisher = Record Research | page = 17 | url = https://archive.org/details/joelwhitburnstoplp00whit/page/17/mode/2up | access-date = 2025-07-10}}</ref>
=== Singles === *"Airport Love Theme" (US # 31, 1970; AC # 2, 1970, Australia #4<ref name=aus>{{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|page=32}}</ref>) *"Nikki" (1970) Did not chart
==As sideman== '''With Quincy Jones''' *''Quincy Jones Explores the Music of Henry Mancini'' (Mercury, 1964) '''With Les McCann''' *''Les McCann Plays the Hits'' (Limelight, 1966) '''With Clark Terry''' *''Mumbles'' (Mainstream, 1966)
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *[http://www.danacountryman.com/vinnie/main.htm Vinnie Bell website (Preserved at danacountryman.com)] *[https://www.namm.org/library/oral-history/vinnie-bell Vinnie Bell Interview] at NAMM Oral History Collection (2017)
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Vincent}} Category:1932 births Category:2019 deaths Category:20th-century American inventors Category:American rhythm and blues guitarists Category:American male guitarists Category:American rock guitarists Category:American session musicians Category:Decca Records artists Category:Guitarists from New York City Category:Musicians from Brooklyn Category:20th-century American guitarists Category:20th-century American male musicians