Al Bell is 83 years old today.
A record producer, songwriter and record executive, Bell was one of the key figures and co-owner of Memphis-based Stax Records, during the later half of the label's 19-year existence.
A former disc jockey in his hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas, Bell was vital to the careers of Stax's soul stars such as The Staples Singers and Isaac Hayes, The Emotions, The Dramatics and Mel & Tim.
Bell's promotional efforts drove the “Memphis Sound” internationally, and made Stax the second-largest African American-owned business in the 1970s. In 2009, the BBC profiled Bell as "one of the icons of soul music" and "the driving force behind Stax Records."
After Stax folded, Bell returned to Little Rock. He voluntarily stayed away from the music industry for a decade, save for periodic participation in local recordings. In the 1980s, he became head of the Motown Records Group and worked closely with Berry Gordy Jr. in the sale of Motown to the MCA/Boston Ventures Group.
After Motown, he discovered the music group, Tag Team, and through his Bellmark Records label released their hit single “Whoomp! (There It Is)” (1993), which became one of the fastest-selling singles in the music industry history.
Bell also released Prince's hit single "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World," after Prince's label Warner Bros. Records turned him down.
After Bellmark Records, Bell began to work on a new web-based venture, Al Bell Presents, for which he hosts a successful online radio program, Al Bell Presents: American Soul Music. In 2009, Bell was profiled in the New York Times and on the BBC as he returned to Memphis to help develop the city's independent music scene.