Late Sunday, the world suffered a great loss in the form of a talented performer. Freddie Bell (Born Freddie Belo, September 29, 1931) passed away of lung cancer at Valley Hospital in Las Vegas, where he lived and performed since the mid-fifties.

You may not have ever heard his name, but chances are that you’ve felt his influence.

In April 1956, Freddie Bell and The Bellboys were performing at the famous Las Vegas Sands Casino and Hotel, when a young man by the name of Elvis Presley (Who was an opening act across the street) caught their performance of Big Mama Thornton’s “Hound Dog”. At the time nobody knew the name Elvis, but of course, we’ve all seen how that’s changed.
Aside from helping to launch the career of the so-called ‘King of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” Freddie Bell was a living legend in Las Vegas. A very prominent force in those years, Bell hobnobbed with the likes of Frank Sinatra (a close personal friend of his); Sammy Davis, Jr.; Louis Prima; Bill Haley and his Comets, as well as many others.

Also in 1956, Bell saw himself in two movies: “Rock Around The Clock,” and “Rumble on the Docks,” both of which had him performing as himself, alongside many Rock ‘n’ Roll greats of the time. Two years later, it was off to the Ed Sullivan show with him. Finally, in 1964, he performed (Once again, as himself) in “Get Yourself a College Girl”.

While he and his Bellboys never saw what most would consider to be ‘Mainstream’ success in the U.S., they were the second American rock ’n’ roll band to tour the U.K., where they enjoyed a considerable amount of success—“Giddy Up a Ding Dong” (their first single) had already peaked at #4 on the charts over there, before they’d even begun touring.

He also happened to be the father of one of my best friends. I’m truly honored to say that I had the opportunity not just to meet him, but to see him perform at the San Gennaro Festival in Las Vegas. Despite the fact that he was in his mid-seventies at the time, his performance was packed with intense charisma and tongue-in-cheek humor. Singing to people that were born a generation too late to know who stood before them, he still brought the house down.

Freddie was an artist in multiple senses of the word: musical (he played multiple instruments to compliment his singing), culinary (he could whip up a chicken parmigiana that would make an old Italian mother weep tears of joy), and comedic (his cover of Ton Loc’s “Wild Thing”, redubbed “Old Thing” had me laughing so hard I cried).

Some people make an art simply out of living, and Freddie was one of those. Those who knew him will miss him greatly, but the mark he left on Rock ‘n’ Roll, as well as Sin City, will never fade.

Audio and video recordings of Freddie Bell's performances can be found on his MySpace account, which is being managed by his son.