STAX RECORDS AND CRAFT RECORDINGS ANNOUNCE

EXPANDED DIGITAL EDITION OF THIS IS WHERE I LIVE,

THE GRAMMY® AWARD-WINNING ALBUM FROM WILLIAM BELL

 

Celebrating its 10^th anniversary this year, the album arrives digitally with two additional songs, including the unreleased track, “Check Out My Karma” and “I Forgot to Be Your Lover” featuring Snoop Dogg and the Stax Music Academy

Listen to the previously unrelease track “Check Out My Karma” today

Click here to see the online media kit

Click here to listen to “Check Out My Karma” today and pre-save digital album

Los Angeles, CA — Stax Records and Craft Recordings are proud to announce an expanded digital edition of William Bell’s Grammy Award-winning album This Is Where I Live, available November 20. The new edition adds two bonus tracks to the landmark 2016 release, including the previously unreleased “Check Out My Karma” (available September 30 as an instant grat track), and “I Forgot to Be Your Lover” featuring Snoop Dogg and the Stax Music Academy.

Widely regarded as one of the most celebrated late-career triumphs in American music, This Is Where I Live marked Bell’s return to the legendary Stax Records label more than four decades after his original tenure with the company. The album earned the 2017 Grammy Award for Best Americana Album and was embraced by critics as both a creative rebirth and a masterwork from one of soul music’s most enduring voices.

Produced by Grammy winner John Leventhal, who co-wrote much of the album alongside Bell and collaborators including Marc Cohn, Rosanne Cash, Cory Chisel, and Scott Bomar, This Is Where I Live is a deeply personal and reflective collection. Through songs such as “The Three of Me,” “All Your Stories,” “All the Things You Can’t Remember,” and the autobiographical title track, Bell explores memory, perseverance, love, redemption, and the wisdom that comes with experience.

As acclaimed music writer Peter Guralnick observed in the album’s liner notes, the songs “convey home truths from a perspective of age and experience that might not have always been readily apparent to a younger man.” Bell’s rich, expressive vocals bring each story to life with honesty and emotional depth, reaffirming his reputation as one of soul music’s most compelling storytellers.

Musically, the album balances the timeless traditions of Southern soul with a contemporary perspective. Tracks such as the haunting “Poison in the Well” and a reimagined version of the William Bell and Booker T. Jones-penned classic “Born Under a Bad Sign” showcase arrangements rooted in American soul, blues, gospel, country, and rock traditions. With Leventhal performing much of the album’s instrumental work and vocal contributions from artists including Amy Helm, Catherine Russell and others, the album reflects the shared vision of Bell and Leventhal to honor the soul music’s legacy while keeping it vibrant and relevant.

The response to This Is Where I Live was immediate and enthusiastic. The New York Times declared, “A Memphis Legend Is Back,” while The Bitter Southerner praised it as “what may be the best album of his life.” A decade after its original release, the album remains a powerful statement from an artist whose voice and perspective continue to resonate across generations.

About William Bell

William Bell’s place in American music history was established long before This Is Where I Live. As the first male artist signed to Stax Records, Bell helped define the sound of Southern soul through a remarkable body of work that blended R&B, blues, gospel, and country influences into a style that became one of the most important American musical movements of the 1960s.

His 1961 classic “You Don’t Miss Your Water” laid the foundation for a career that produced enduring hits including “Everybody Loves a Winner” and “I Forgot to Be Your Lover.” As a songwriter, Bell’s influence extended far beyond his own recordings, co-writing classics such as Albert King’s “Born Under a Bad Sign” and penning the holiday favorite “Everyday Will Be Like a Holiday.”

Bell’s songs have been recorded by artists ranging from Cream, Carole King, and The Byrds to Billy Idol, King Curtis, and Warren Haynes, reflecting the extraordinary reach of his songwriting. Following his departure from Stax in 1969, Bell continued to write, produce, and perform, later scoring another major hit with 1977’s “Tryin’ to Love Two.” His contributions to American music were recognized with the Rhythm & Blues Foundation’s Pioneer Award in 1997.

Today, William Bell is celebrated not only as one of Stax Records’ foundational artists, but as a songwriter, performer, and cultural innovator whose music helped shape the sound of modern soul.

With the expanded digital edition of This Is Where I Live, listeners can experience one of the defining albums of Bell’s remarkable career anew, enhanced with additional recordings that further illuminate the artistry, honesty, and enduring spirit of a true American music legend.

Track list:

1. The Three of Me
2. The House Always Wins
3. Poison in The Well
4. I Will Take Care of You
5. Born Under a Bad Sign
6. All Your Stories
7. Walking on a Tightrope
8. This Is Where I Live
9. More Rooms
10. All the Things You Can’t Remember
11. Mississippi-Arkansas Bridge
12. People Want to Go Home
13. Check Out My Karma*
14. I Forgot to Be Your Lover – featuring Snoop Dogg and the Stax Music Academy

*previously unreleased

 

About Stax Records:

Stax Records, now operated by BMG, was founded by Jim Stewart in 1957 in Memphis, Tennessee. It rose from a small, family-operated company to become one of the most influential record labels in the world, helping create “The Memphis Sound” and launching the careers of icons such as Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, Booker T. & The M.G.’s the Staple Singers, Sam & Dave, Rufus and Carla Thomas, The Bar-Kays, and dozens of other artists who helped change popular culture forever. In all, Stax placed 167 hit songs in the Top 100 in Pop and 243 hits in the Top 100 in R&B.

For more info visit, Stax Records.com and follow on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

 

About Craft Recordings:

Craft Recordings is home to one of the largest and most essential collections of master recordings and compositions in the world. Its storied repertoire includes landmark releases from icons such as Joan Baez, John Coltrane, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Celia Cruz, Miles Davis, Isaac Hayes, John Lee Hooker, Little Richard, R.E.M., and Joan Sebastian. Plus, the catalog recordings of celebrated contemporary acts including A Day to Remember, Daddy Yankee, Evanescence, Alison Krauss, Nine Inch Nails, Taking Back Sunday and Violent Femmes, to name just a few. Renowned imprints with catalogs issued under the Craft banner include Fania, Fantasy, Fearless, Musart, Nitro, Panart, Prestige, Riverside, Rounder, Specialty, Stax, Vanguard, Varèse Sarabande, Vee-Jay and Victory, among many others. Craft creates thoughtfully curated packages, with a meticulous devotion to quality and a commitment to preservation—ensuring that these recordings endure for new generations to discover. Craft is also home to the Billie Holiday and Tammy Wynette estates which preserve and protect their respective names, likeness and music through day-to-day legacy management of these cultural trailblazers.

Craft Recordings is the catalog label team for Concord. For more info, visit Craft Recordings.com and follow on Facebook, X,Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Craft Recordings is part of BMG.

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