Benny Bell

Benny Bell (born Benjamin Samberg; March 21, 1906 – July 6, 1999) sometimes under the names Benny Bimbo and Paul Wynn. His first record, "The Alimony Blues" (backed with "Fast Asleep on a Mountain"), for Plaza Records on December 16, 1929 was a comical song about preferring to spend time in jail rather than pay alimony. He went on to write approximately 600 songs, most of which are documented in his many notebooks, ledgers and copyright papers.

In addition to songs with English lyrics, he wrote and recorded in Yiddish and Hebrew, sometimes mixing two or three languages in one song (e.g. "Bar Mitzvah Boy" which uses three). According to liner notes on his albums, these songs should be understood by listeners who speak any of the languages.

Bell founded his own record company under a variety of names: Bell Enterprises, Madison Records, Zion Records, and Kosher Comedy Records. He also wrote and recorded commercial jingles for radio. His jingle for Lemke's cockroach powder, sung in a mixture of Yiddish and English, has been released on record.

Bell enjoyed writing risqué lyrics, and in 1939 he was advised that he could make so-called party records with "blue" lyrics, primarily for use in jukeboxes in cocktail bars.

He continued recording and releasing records into the 1980s, but he remained little-known beyond New York City until the 1970s when "Shaving Cream" was played regularly on the Dr. Demento radio program, leading to its re-issue as a single in 1975 on the Vanguard Records label, along with a similarly titled album.

Bell died in New York on July 6, 1999, at the age of 93. His son, Charles Samberg, donated the vast majority of Bell's works to Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida.

Albums discography Kosher Comedy (Kosher Comedy Records, 1956) Kosher Comedy (Zion Records 126, 1956, not the same album as above) Kosher Comedy (Madison Records 120, 1960, not the same album as either of the above) Jewish Comedy (1st Issue) (Bell Enterprises, LP album) Jewish Comedy (2nd Issue) (Bell Enterprises, LP album, essentially a "volume 2") Jewish American Novelty Tunes (Bell Enterprises, 1958) Pincus the Peddler (Zion Records 234, 1959, re-issue of above, as Benny Bell and the Agony Trio) To the Bride: "G'zint mit Parnussa" (Zion Records 252, as Benny Bell and the Brownsville Klezmers) Laugh Along With Pincus (Madison Records 523, re-issued with different cover in 1972) The Opera Star (Comic Opera) (Bell Enterprises 900, LP album) Be a Comedian (1958, re-issued as Bell Enterprises BB-801, 1961, LP instructional album) Shaving Cream (Vanguard Records VSD-79357, 1975) Showtime (Bell Enterprises 303, 1977, jokes by Slim Jim and songs by Benny Bell) The Hilarious Musical Comedy of Benny Bell (volumes 1 to 8, Benny Bell Records, on CD) Benny Bell: Another Close Shave (Benny Bell, 2005)