by Jason AnkenyA principal architect of the Stax/Volt sound, singer/composer William Bell remains best known for his classic You Dont Miss Your Water, one of the quintessential soul records to emerge from the Memphis scene. Born William Yarborough on July 16, 1939, he cut his teeth backing Rufus Thomas, and in 1957 recorded his first sides as a member of the Del Rios. After joining the Stax staff as a writer, in 1961 Bell made his solo debut with the self-penned You Dont Miss Your Water, an archetypal slice of country-soul and one of the labels first big hits. A two-year Armed Forces stint effectively derailed his career, however, and he did not release his first full-length album, The Soul of a Bell, until 1967, generating a Top 20 hit with the single Everybody Loves a Winner; that same year, Albert King also scored with another classic Bell composition, the oft-covered Born Under a Bad Sign.Bells next solo hit, 1968s A Tribute to a King, wa...