Poogie Bell

Charles Bell Jr. (born February 11, 1961, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), better known by his stage name Poogie Bell, is an American jazz drummer, composer, band leader and producer. Bell is best known as a drummer, working extensively with bassist Marcus Miller and as a sideman for other artists such as Erykah Badu, Victor Bailey, David Bowie, Alex Bugnon, Stanley Clarke, Randy Crawford, Roberta Flack, Al Jarreau, Chaka Khan, Angelique Kidjo, Joe Sample, David Sanborn, John Scofield, Stanley Turrentine, Luther Vandross, Vanessa Williams, and Victor Wooten.

Life and career Early life Bell was born in 1961 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Charles Bell, Sr. and Alice Pittrell. His father was a jazz pianist and band leader for the Charles Bell Contemporary Jazz Quartet. As an infant, Bell regularly watched his father's band rehearse. He made his concert debut with his father's band at age two and a half, playing at Carnegie Music Hall, Pittsburgh, and in 1966, he performed with Pearl Bailey on the Mike Douglas Show.

Bell moved to New York with his family, where his father took up a music professorship. In New York, Bell continued to be immersed in the world of music. His father regularly rehearsed at home with Ron Carter, Richard Davis, Ornette Coleman, Max Roach, and Mary Lou Williams, and the bassist Paul Chambers was a neighbor. While growing up in New York, Bell was friends with Omar Hakim, Weldon Irvine, Marcus Miller, Lenny White, and Bernard Wright, all of whom went on to professional music careers of their own. 1980: Weldon Irvine – Weldon & The Kats 2008: Marcus Miller – Marcus 2008: S.M.V. – Thunder 2010: Marcus Miller – A Night in Monte Carlo – Live 2009