MADELINE BELL's and BLUE MINK'S 60‘s; From Elton to Lennon to Dusty Springfield💚💖🇬🇧🇺🇸🥰

Madeline Bell’s voice is woven through decades of popular music. She sang with Blue Mink, became a sought-after session singer and worked on recordings with John Lennon and the Rolling Stones. But how did a young gospel singer from Newark, New Jersey, find herself at the heart of British pop?

In this conversation, Madeline tells me about the church and the people who raised her, the racism she encountered while touring America, and the opportunity that brought her to Europe with Black Nativity. She remembers how Dusty Springfield gave her the session that helped her stay in London, how Blue Mink came together, and what happened when she was called in to sing on the Rolling Stones’ “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.”

Then there is her extraordinary account of recording John Lennon’s “Power to the People”: the long wait, John’s instructions, and the sound of the singers stamping their feet. We also talk about Elton John, Stevie Wonder, the demands of session work, and what it means to lend your voice to songs that become part of other people’s lives.

CHAPTERS
00:00 John Lennon and the “Power to the People” story
00:58 Introduction
01:39 Gospel, family and growing up in Newark
05:01 The woman who raised Madeline
07:01 Newark’s extraordinary gospel singers
09:27 Sam Cooke and the voices she looked up to
12:18 Experiencing racism in America
16:55 Meeting gospel singer Alex Bradford
20:50 Black Nativity and the journey to Europe
24:31 Why Madeline returned to London
25:56 Dusty Springfield gives her a first session
29:07 Life as a session singer
30:50 “I’m Gonna Make You Love Me”
32:53 How Blue Mink began
35:54 “Melting Pot” and its message
38:58 Blue Mink on the road
40:28 Recording with the Rolling Stones
42:55 The call to work with John Lennon
45:45 Recording “Power to the People”
47:37 Elton John and the musicians she knew
49:02 Singing jazz and performing at Ronnie Scott’s
51:48 Working with Stevie Wonder
55:01 Her influence on younger singers

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