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This article is about the lead singer of Erasure; there is also Andy Bell (musician), a member of the band Oasis.

Andy Bell
Andy Bell of Erasure in 1986
Background information
Birth name	Andrew Ivan Bell
Born	25 April 1964 (1964-04-25) (age 45)
Origin	Peterborough, England
Genres	Synthpop, Dance music
Occupations	Singer, songwriter, remixer, DJ
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1985 - present
Labels	Mute Records Sanctuary Records
Associated acts	Erasure
Website	Official website

Andy Bell (born Andrew Ivan Bell, 25 April 1964, Peterborough, England) is the lead singer of the English synthpop duo, Erasure.

Career

Originally working in a meat packing plant in the UK, Bell responded to a newspaper advert that was looking for a singer. He was picked by Vince Clarke and together they formed the group Erasure. The pair have sold over twenty million albums worldwide.

Apart from his work with Erasure, he has taken part in numerous charity recordings. These included Ferry Aid's cover of "Let It Be" (1987); a cover of Cole Porter's "Too Darn Hot", that was included in 1990s Red Hot + Blue album to raise funds for AIDS and HIV research; re-making Lene Lovich's "Rage" alongside her to be included in PETA's album (1991) in favour of a wildlife campaign; and performing twice on Big Spender's Red Hot and Dance events to support various AIDS projects (in both December 1994 and November 2004). Bell also performed on the True Colors Tour 2008.

Bell sang the role of Montresor in the opera The Fall of the House of Usher by Peter Hammill and Judge Smith, released in 1991 and reissued with a new recording in 1999.

July 2005 brought the announcement of Bell's first solo album. He signed a worldwide solo recording contract with Sanctuary Records, and announced details of his debut album, which was released on 3 October 2005 and entitled Electric Blue. The album featured fourteen tracks, including three duets, with Claudia Brücken of Propaganda and Jake Shears of Scissor Sisters.

The first single, "Crazy", released on 26 September 2005, included club remixes from his Erasure partner Vince Clarke, plus Cicada, MHC and King Roc. Electric Blue was co-written and recorded throughout 2004 and 2005 with Manhattan Clique (Philip Larsen and Chris Smith) who have worked with Erasure, Moby, The B-52's, Stereophonics and Goldfrapp.

As Erasure are currently on a break until 2010, Bell is working on his second solo album, which is due for release sometime in 2009.^[1] It will feature collaborations with Perry Farrell (Jane's Addiction) and Kate Pierson (The B-52's). The album will be produced by Pascal Gabriel, who previously remixed "It Doesn't Have to Be" for Erasure.

Using the pseudonym Mimó, Bell released two Pascal Gabriel-produced singles on Mute Records: "Running Out" (2009)^[2] and "Will You Be There?" (2010)^[3] prior to his second solo album.^[4] The name, used as a "tribute to good friend Tomeau Mimó”, was not used on any subsequent solo releases, as a legal block was issued against Bell by another artist already using the Mimó name.^[5]

Personal life

Originating from the Dogsthorpe area in Peterborough, he has family still residing locally in the city and surrounding areas such as Market Deeping. He was a long time partner of Paul J. Hickey. Since the early 2000, he also practises reiki. He is also openly gay. On 17 December 2004 he publicly announced that he is HIV-positive and has been aware of this since 1998.^[6]

Discography

Albums

• 2005 Electric Blue (SANCD382) #12 U.S. Top Electronic Albums

Singles

• 2005 "Crazy" #35 UK,^[7] #3 U.S. Hot Dance Club Play
• 2006 "I'll Never Fall in Love Again"
• 2009 "Running Out" (as Mimó)
• 2010 "Will You Be There?" (as Mimó)

Remixes

• 2008 Yazoo - "Nobody's Diary (Andy Bell & Jc Remix)"

References

External links

• Official Andy Bell site
• Official Andy Bell MySpace
• Official Erasure site