He was a guitarist, musician, writer, producer and teacher born Roger Elvidge Bellin in French Guiana. Mainly self taught, he started to play the guitar when he was just two years old and when at school he formed a basement band which split up as he wanted to play music that was experimental while the others wanted to play pop.
In his professional career he became a sought after session musician for a myriad of artists throughout the 1980s and 1990s such as the Pet Shop Boys, who he performed with for many years, M, Janet Jackson, Cameo, Cher, Whitney Houston, Linda Ronstadt , Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Dionne Warwick, Bette Midler, Tina Turner, Dusty Springfield, George Michael, Madonna and Linx, who he made his first appearance on Top of the Pops with.
He would appear on TV further on the shows of Terry Wogan, Jools Holland and Jonathon Ross and featuring as a tour musician he accompanied many artists in their concerts including Fish, Chaka Khan, Eric Clapton, Kim Wilde, Phil Collins, Will Downing, Sir Elton John, Randy Crawford, Sir Cliff Richard, kd Lang, Leo Sayer , Roberta Flack, Barry White, Heatwave, Climie Fisher, Johnny Hates Jazz and the Pet Shop Boys.
As a solo artist he has recorded the CDs REBelle Out on a Limb and REC CD Compilation. As a teacher he had begun to teach at Northbrook College, which is near Brighton, England.
He passed away from cancer in November 2004 when he was 49 years old.
Here he is a short clip of JJ recording some rhythm guitar onto a track by Bernard Purdie ……
Sources:
- http://www.dognpony.com/jjbelle/RogerFuneralprogramme.pdf
- http://www.10yearsofbeingboring.com/people/musicians/belle
- http://www.dognpony.com/jjbelle/studio.htm
- http://www.dognpony.com/jjbelle/live.htm
- http://www.dimino.com/fish/pittsburgh/show4.html
- http://www.upthedownstair.net/2006_01_01_archive.html
- http://www.10yearsofbeingboring.com/live/one-off/remixed