Bell and James
| Bell and James | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Years active | 1978-1981 |
| Labels | A&M Records |
| Website | Bill and James music play |
| Past members | LeRoy Bell Casey James |
Bell and James was an American soul group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania formed by Leroy Bell on (drums, guitar) and Casey James (guitar, bass, keyboards).
Career
Both LeRoy Bell and Casey James had played in Special Blend before beginning to write songs together. Bell's uncle Thom Bell got them signed to Gamble & Huff as songwriters for Philadelphia International Records.[1] They wrote tunes for Elton John, MFSB, The O'Jays, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Freda Payne, Phyllis Hyman, The Three Degrees, and others, before A&M Records took notice and signed them to a full album deal in 1978.
Three albums and several hit singles followed, including "Livin' it Up (Friday Night)," which hit #7 on the U.S. Billboard Black singles, and #15 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts in 1979. It sold over one million copies in the U.S., plus the same track reached #59 in the UK Singles Chart.[2]
Discography
Albums
| Year | Title | Label | U.S. Black Albums[3] | U.S. Pop Albums[3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Bell & James | A&M Records | 17 | 31 |
| 1979 | Only Make Believe | 36 | 125 | |
| 1981 | In Black And White |
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart Positions[4] | |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Hot 100 | U.S. Black singles | ||
| 1979 | "Livin' It Up (Friday Night)" | 15 | 7 |
| 1979 | "Shakedown" | - | 65 |
| "You Never Know What You've Got" | - | 54 | |
| 1980 | "Only Make Believe" | - | 50 |
