Artist:Michel Bell
Song:Ol' Man River
Album:Show Boat: World Premiere Cast Recording
Michel Bell's claim to fame is he was Tony nominated for playing Joe in the 1994 Broadway revival of Show Boat. So that means he sang Ol' Man River just like Paul Robeson did in the original 30s production. Bell has appeared in other Broadway shows. But he is mostly known for this one role. It was his first major role. I assume he performed in regional theater up to that point probably on the west coast as he is from Fresno, CA. This production of Show Boat was produced by Livent owner Garth Drabinsky and veteran Broadway director Hal Prince. It was originally staged in Toronto in 1993 and moved to Broadway in 1994 where it was very successful. Drabinsky is from Toronto. Among the stars were Rebecca Luker, Mark Jacoby, Lonette McKee, Robert Morse, Elaine Stritch with Bell as Joe and Gretha Boston as Queenie. When Show Boat moved to Broadway, most of the cast came from Toronto. The original cast album is from the Toronto show. Bell was nominated for a Tony and performed Ol' Man River on the Tony awards broadcast. He toured with Show Boat after its Broadway run. Bell's other Broadway shows include The Civil War and Riverdance. He released an album of show tunes in 2014 and he performs in clubs and with symphony orchestras. It says on his website that he was once a member of The Fifth Dimension. Don't know when that was but I think he spent time in Las Vegas before Show Boat. Here's Michel Bell performing Ol' Man River on the 1994 Tony awards broadcast.
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