This is terrible, I have put off seeing the Chieftains for years for one stupid reason after another and now Bell, their harpist and pianist is gone.
People have accused them of going commercial in the last decade but their music has still remained vibrant and innovative. They always stayed true to their traditional roots imho regardless of who was accompanying them.
A great loss of a fine music historian, musician, and an influential shaper of the Irish traditional music genre as it is known today, his influence is not easily understated and he will be sorely missed.
There is another famous Derek Bell. He’s best known for racing sports cars (although he had a few drives in Formula 1 as well), and won Le Mans five times.
What about the infamous ballplayer. Freaked me out when I read the OP until I realizes that not even the Pirates would have had a 68 year old outfielder.
Can’t say I know anything about the Chieftans. Sad news though.
I’ve seen the Chieftains in concert whenever I could and love their music. The live concerts were fabulous, not only the music but also the byplay between the members of the group because they’ve been together so long. I remember one performance they gave at Riverbend in Cincinnati. It was in August in an outdoor setting and Derek Bell came out wearing a long sleeved sweater over his shirt and tie! I was amazed he didn’t just melt into a puddle before the show was over. He sometimes lined up all these little figurines on his harp or piano. Endearingly quirky. His playing was simply fantastic. And I just generally find the harp a fascinating instrument as well.
