Artist:William BellSong:You Don't Miss Your Water
Album:The Very Best Of William Bell
Though You Don't Miss Your Water wasn't a big hit when it was released in 1961, today it is highly regarded as one of the essential building blocks of Stax Records. It is also the signature song for country soul legend William Bell. He has had a lot of success as a songwriter and the great thing is he still sounds great today. He was born William Yarborough July 16, 1939 in Memphis. He took the stage name Bell in tribute to his grandmother's first name. He started out in 1957 backing up Rufus Thomas and recorded some singles as a member of The Del-Rios. Stax hired him as a staff songwriter in 1961 and You Don't Miss Your Water was his first solo recording. Bell says he wrote the song when he in New York working with Phineas Newborn. He was homesick for Memphis. He thought he was recording a demo and it was actually the B-side of Formula For Love. DJs flipped it over. It was a regional hit in the south and should have been bigger nationally. Today it's considered a country soul classic. Otis Redding, The Byrds and The Wailers are among those who have covered You Don't Miss Your Water. Bell released some singles but didn't record an album until 1967. He had some chart success as a solo artist and with some duets with Judy Clay. But he has written several songs for others including Albert King's signature song Born Under A Bad Sign. Concord has done a great job reissuing the Stax catalog and this budget comp is a must for soul fans. He went to Mercury Records when Stax went out of business and his 1976 top ten hit Tryin' To Love Two is his biggest hit to date. William Bell still tours today and last recorded on his own Wilbe label in 2006. He's one of the all time great underrated legends of soul. Here's William Bell performing You Don't Miss Your Water on the Stax 50th Anniversary TV special 2008.
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