Carey Bell at the Long Beach Blues Festival, 2003

Born Carey Bell Harrington on November 14 1936 in Macon, Mississippi. Carey Bell was an American blues musician, who played the harmonica in the Chicago blues style.
As a child, Bell was intrigued by the music of Louis Jordan and wanted a saxophone in order to be like his hero; however, Bell’s family could not afford a saxophone and he had to settle for the harmonica, known also as a “ blues harp” Soon Bell was attracted by the blues harmonica greats: DeFord Bailey, Big Walter Horton, Marion “Little Walter” Jacobs, and Sonny Boy Williamson . Bell taught himself to play the instrument.
By the time he was eight, he was quite proficient on the instrument and joined his first band at the tender age of  thirteen.
Having arrived in Chicago in 1956, where he actually met and received lessons from Little Walter Jacobs and Big Walter Horton.
Also proficient on bass guitar, he played that instrument to survive, when there was no demand for harp players on the Chicago scene.
In 1969 Bell toured Europe and the UK with the American Folk Blues Festival, and played at the Royal Albert Hall in London, appearing on a live recording of the event.
Throughout his career that spanned over  30 albums, Bell recorded and toured with many of the great blues artists of his time, such as Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, Junior Wells, James Cotton and Billy Branch, Louisiana Red and Jimmy Dawkins.
In 1978, Bell was featured on the Grammy-nominated album Living Chicago Blues and in 1998, Bell was awarded the Blues Music Award for Traditional Male Artist Of The Year.
Late in his career Carey teamed up with his guitar playing son Laurie Bell with whom he recorded and toured.
Carey Bell died of heart failure on May 6, 2007, in Chicago, Illinois.

Source: Wikipedia