Bell was born in Memphis, Tennessee. He took the last name “Bell” as a stage name in honor of his grandmother, whose first name was Belle.

William Bell signed to Stax Records initially as a songwriter, it was only after Bell served a stint in the military that he was finally able to release his debut album in 1967, “The Soul of a Bell”. Two years later, Bell was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame and received the Rhythm & Blues Foundation’s R&B Pioneer Award that same year.

In 2016, Bell teamed with the reactivated Stax Records label to release a new album. Produced by John Leventhal, This Is Where I Live featured Bell performing a batch of new songs.

A principal architect of the Stax/Volt sound, singer/composer William Bell remains best known for his classic “You Don’t Miss Your Water”.