Fresh from his stint on the fall TV show, “The X Factor,” Edmonds resident LeRoy Bell will be playing at the Moore Theatre in Seattle on Dec. 31.
This performer has shared the stage with Van Morrison, Etta James, Al Green, India Arie, Erykah Badu, LeAnne Rimes and Los Lobos – just to name a few. The eclectic group reflects his sound, which crosses many demographics from classic rock to soul.
The Bell family legacy extended from Philadelphia to Seattle when LeRoy’s uncle opened up the West Coast offices of his business, Mighty Three Music, in the late ‘70s. As a young staff writer, Bell teamed up with Casey James to write songs that would be recorded by such artists as Elton John. John quickly became a fan of LeRoy’s song writing and reordered “Mama Can’t Buy Me Love,” which earned him a Grammy nomination for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance.
REPORTER: Tell me about getting on the first season of Fox’s “The X Factor” this fall?
BELL: I learned a couple things. One, that you’re never too old to learn something new. I played music for many years and never thought I would audition of a reality TV show. I’m proud of myself for jumping into an unknown and tackling something like that.
REPORTER: How has the show affected your fan base?
BELL: You can’t buy that kind of exposure. For six weeks, there were 10-12 million people watching every week. People have been following me on Twitter, sending me emails. People have watched the show in more than 150 countries.
REPORTER: After auditioning in April, was it a stressful competition?
BELL: There were challenges throughout the experience. First, you were going through bootcamp where you wouldn’t get much sleep because you’re always trying to learn a song. Then as we got further along, you got more sleep, but you’re working 10 or 12 hours a day. Still, I heard from other people that this was the best show they worked on. It was a positive environment.
REPORTER: You’re both a singer and songwriter. Tell me about your process of writing a song.
BELL: I play my guitar and a lot of times, when I’m supposed to be practicing, I end up producing a song. I will usually write the basic chord structure and melody. Sometimes, I will have a lyric and I will write around that. Elton [John] always wrote the music around the lyrics which seemed completely backwards to me.
REPORTER: How did you get into music?
BELL: I started music when I was around 13, when I first got my guitar in Germany. I saw The Beatles there and I listened to Elvis. I saw all these girls screaming and yelling and all this admiration, and I thought, ‘I want to be that.’”
REPORTER: Who are your musical influences?
BELL: Anything I’ve ever heard. Marvin Gaye, The Beatles, Ottis Redding, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin. My taste has really broadened.
REPORTER: Out of the many famous names you’ve opened for, who stands out?
BELL: B.B. King. I did quite a few shoes with him. One day, after the show, he invited us to his green room and just sat around and told stories. That really stood out.
Gabrielle Nomura can be reached at 425-453-4270.
