Pedro Bell facts for kids

Pedro Bell (born June 11, 1950 – died August 27, 2019) was an American artist and illustrator. He was famous for his amazing album cover designs. He created artwork for many Funkadelic and George Clinton albums.

Bell also wrote many notes inside the record albums. He used the name Sir Lleb, which is his last name spelled backwards. These notes helped create the wild and imaginative stories of the P-Funk music world. He invented characters like "Thumpasaurus" and "Funkapus." Bell's art was inspired by Sun Ra and helped lead to modern graphic novels and the Afro-punk movement.

Early Life and Art Beginnings

Pedro Bell was born on June 11, 1950, in Chicago, Illinois. He grew up in a very religious family. He had older brothers.

When he was a child, Bell was often sick. He spent a lot of time reading books and comics, especially Ace Comics. Bell said he got his art skills from his father, who was also an artist. His mother wrote and played the piano.

Bell went to Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois. There, he learned about the Black Power movement. He met an activist named Mark Clark. Bell gave his artwork to the Black Panther Party. He also joined a protest, which led to him leaving the school.

Later, Bell went to Roosevelt University in Chicago. He took art classes there and studied with Don Baum.

Creative Career Highlights

Working with Funkadelic

In the late 1960s, Bell first heard the band Funkadelic on the radio in Chicago. He started sending the band illustrated letters. He also sent drawings and writing samples to their manager. Bell even made "psychedelic envelopes" for his mail.

Bell was hired to make art for the band. He started with posters for local shows and promotional items. Then, he began designing album covers. He built a whole world of stories, slang, and nicknames for the band. This became a big part of Funkadelic's album art and notes. Bell often created nicknames, which he called "tags," for people.

His album cover art was credited to Pedro Bell. But the notes inside the albums were credited to Sir Lleb. Bell wanted his art to show the wild energy of the band's music and live shows. He used markers and felt-tipped pens for his work. He often traced the markers with acrylic paint for better printing. The finished artworks were huge, much larger than the actual record covers. This helped them print with high quality. Even though he went to college, Bell thought of himself as self-taught. He often only knew the album title and had not heard the music when he created the art.

According to George Clinton's website, Bell's writing "rewrote the whole game." It said he made the P-Funk group into "sci-fi superheroes." His words helped create the band's myths and connected fans. However, Bell was often paid very little for his work. Sometimes, he had to ask for money upfront. Because of this, he also worked regular jobs, like at a bank and a post office. But he always stayed connected to the P-Funk family. He often wore bright wigs and psychedelic clothes. Bell also worked with Clinton on his solo album covers in the 1980s.

Other Creative Projects

Pedro Bell had his own art studio called Splankwerks. In 1988, he made a cartoon for MTV called Larry Lazer. He also worked on comic books, including a collection called Artusi Tribe. He wrote screenplays too. Bell even started a band called Tripzilla. In 1997, he published a small magazine called ZEEP Magazine. Bell said "ZEEP" was P-Funk slang for "deeper-than-deep."

Artistic Inspirations

Bell said that other artists influenced his work. These included Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, who was known for art with cars. He also liked the cartoonist Robert Williams. Bell found inspiration in ads from Hot Rod magazine. Other influences included Frank Zappa, Harlan Ellison, Hunter S. Thompson, Iceberg Slim, and Tom Wolfe.

Growing up, Bell read the Bible a lot. He was very influenced by the books of Genesis and Revelations. This led him to be interested in science fiction and machines. He also loved automotive technology. Later, he became interested in the surrealistic art of Salvador Dalí. Bell read many books about dinosaurs and Godzilla. He also studied Latin.

Later Life and Legacy

In August 1996, Pedro Bell was declared legally blind. He faced health and money problems for much of his later life. In January 2010, a group called the Black Rock Coalition held a fundraiser. It was called "Miracle for a Maggot: Funkraiser for P-Funk Graphic Artist Pedro Bell." This event helped Bell.

Pedro Bell passed away on August 27, 2019, in Evergreen Park, Illinois. He was 69 years old. He had a son.

Album Illustrations

• 1973: Funkadelic, Cosmic Slop
• 1974: Funkadelic, Standing on the Verge of Getting It On
• 1975: Funkadelic, Let's Take It to the Stage
• 1976: Funkadelic, Hardcore Jollies
• 1976: Funkadelic, Tales of Kidd Funkadelic
• 1978: Funkadelic, One Nation Under a Groove
• 1979: Funkadelic, Uncle Jam Wants You
• 1981: Funkadelic, The Electric Spanking of War Babies
• 1982: George Clinton, Computer Games
• 1982: George Clinton, Atomic Dog (12 inch)
• 1983: George Clinton, You Shouldn't-Nuf Bit Fish
• 1985: George Clinton, Some of My Best Jokes Are Friends
• 1985: Jimmy G And The Tackhead, Federation of Tackheads
• 1986: George Clinton, R&B Skeletons in the Closet
• 1988: INCorporated Thang Band, Lifestyles of the Roach and Famous
• 1989: Various artists, George Clinton Presents Our Gang Funky
• 1991: Maggotron, Maggotron: Bass Man of the Acropolis
• 1994: George Clinton, **** Dogs
• 1995: Axiom Funk, Funkcronomicon
• 1996: George Clinton and The P-Funk Allstars, T.A.P.O.A.F.O.M. (The Awesome Power of a Fully Operational Mothership)
• 1996: George Clinton, Greatest Funkin' Hits
• 1998: Enemy Squad, United State of Mind
• 2005: George Clinton & the P-Funk All-Stars, How Late Do U Have 2BB4UR Absent?
• 2007: Funkadelic, By Way of the Drum

Selected Exhibitions

• 1994: Onli Studios, Second Annual Black Age of Comics Convention, South Side Community Art Center – Bronzeville, Chicago, Illinois
• 1999: Exit Art, Pedrodelic Art Exhibit – New York
• 2007: BLACK AGE X Convention – Chicago
• 2007: Sympathy for the Devil: Art and Rock and Roll Since 1967, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago (September 29, 2007 – January 6, 2008) – Chicago
• 2009: Funkaesthetics: University of Toronto, Art Museum at the University of Toronto (February 12 – March 23, 2009); Confederation Centre Art Gallery (November 21, 2009 to February 28, 2010)
• 2018: Chicago Cultural Center, African American Designers in Chicago: Art, Commerce, and the Politics of Race (October 27, 2018 – March 3, 2019) – Chicago

See also

• Albums with cover art by Pedro Bell