A Man of Many Talents
 By Laura Notarangelo

Louie Bello is a man of many undertakings and talents.  His ambitions continually skyrocket as he works on his television show, records his second album, and brings new talent to the public’s attention.  Born and raised right here in the city of Boston, Bello has been in the entertaining industry for the past fifteen years, as an R&B singer and as a record producer.  Bello recalls singing with his friends on weekends at the park or on street corners and later having sessions at a friend’s house.  A major source of encouragement was Bello’s father; he states, “My father brought me up on everything from Motown to Frank Sinatra to Led Zeppelin, so I always had an appreciation for music.  My dad was in a nine-piece horn band when I was younger, so he gave me a lot of my inspiration to really pursue the performance aspect.”  At age eighteen, Bello recorded his first song, a Babyface cover.  He says, “I ran into this producer named Floyd Wilcox.  He liked what he heard and helped me write my first song.  Once I had that experience I was hooked on the music biz.  Floyd inspired me to take it to the next level, and to this day we still work together and are like family.”

In 1995, Bello started his own record label, Bellobaby Records.  He continues to showcase and promote new artists, including his sister, Lisa Bello.  His album, The Bello Project, is currently available, while a second album is in the works.  Bello is also a busy director and, as he explains it, over the past few years he has transformed his musical abilities “into a total entertainment approach by moving into film.  Last year myself and my partner Billy Dufresne wrote and produced our first film, called Dirty Crimes.”

Along with his film projects, Bello, Dufresne, and Gianni Callabretti also wrote a television pilot that was shot locally in Boston’s North End.  The show was also directed by Callabretti and was produced by Jeff Kallegheri of Dolce Vida Productions.  Many well-known actors were featured in the pilot, and Bello says, “It was unbelievable how it all came together in the end.”  The pilot would not have been possible without Nick Varano, owner of Strega Ristorante on Hanover Street, who also stars in the pilot.  This is another work in progress for Bello and his colleagues, who are also “getting ready to shoot our first feature film, Ohio, this spring.”

Additional activities Bello is involved in include work with other musicians and a political figure:  “We just finished working on songs for Dannity Kane from P Diddy's Making the Band and Universal Recording Artist Suzzana.  I am in the middle of a project right now with world renowned DJ/ Producer Clinton Sparks and Reggeatone legend Willy Negron.  Myself and my music partner Malik Williams just finished the campaign song for the New Mexican Governor Bill Richardson, who is running for president of the United States.”

Bello is in the midst of recording his second album and reflects on the way in which his first album, The Bello Project, came together.  Describing the album as “a culmination of my years of struggles in life and this business,” Bello “wrote a story with different chapters of my life as songs.  I wrote them in a way that everyone could relate to, and so far we have had a really great response.  I worked with some crazy producers like Floyd Wilcox, Malik Williams, Underground Productions, and Marcus Bell.”  Truly a success, Bello keeps pushing ahead and credits his daughter, Italya, as his biggest accomplishment.  “She gave me that second push to keep up the struggle,” he states.  “The fact that I am still working hard is because of her, and I feel blessed that I have a healthy, beautiful girl and can still do all the things I do.”