LeRoy Bell & His Only Friends - live at The Gesa Power House Theatre

Most people know about singer-songwriter LeRoy Bell from his 2011 appearance as one of the top performers on Season 1 of “The X Factor”, but long before televised competitions, LeRoy Bell had already achieved success as a musician. In the ’70s he wrote hit tunes for other artists including “Mama Can’t Buy You Love” for Elton John, which went to the Top 10 in the general charts and #1 the Adult/Contemporary chart and in the fall of 1979, earned Elton a Grammy Nomination for “Best Male R&B Vocal Performance”. LeRoy’s own band, Bell and James, also reached the top of the pop charts with their 1979 hit, “Living it Up Friday Night.” 

Although LeRoy Bell’s recording career stalled for a couple of decades, partly due to a poor choice in switching record labels, at the age of 60 his career was reignited when he appeared on the inaugural season of “The X Factor” in the United States. He stood out on the show for his talent and maturity, and finished 8th overall when he was eliminated in the fifth live show.

Competing on the television show challenged LeRoy Bell to develop a better stage presence and gave him a new found confidence as a performer. It also reminded him how important music is to him. “I enjoy live performing more than I ever have before.,” says Bell, “I realize that I’m very lucky to do music and make a living at it. I can’t imagine trying to do anything else.”

 One of South Africa’s biggest pop stars, Zahara, discovered Bell through “The X Factor” and invited him and Terry to come to South Africa and perform and record a “Live” CD/DVD that shipped double Platinum was nominated for a South African Grammy.

LeRoy Bell is a passionate Soul/R&B singer, a powerful blues/rocker, and equally at home as an acoustic folk/soul singer, capable of captivating an audience with intimate performances. He currently records and performs at the head of LeRoy Bell and His Only Friends with bassist Terry Morgan, keyboardist Daniel Walker, and drummer Bill Ray.