King Biscuit Boy

Newell released his last album in early 2003 on Race Records, an independent record label in Hamilton, Ontario. It was a collaboration with saxophonist Sonny Del-Rio (a former Crowbar bandmate and long-standing friend), entitled Two Hound Blues. The album was a combination of six lost tracks from the 1981 King Biscuit Boy album, Biscuits 'n' Gravy, and the 1991 Sonny Del-Rio effort, 40 Years of Rock & Roll and All I Got's the Blues, which was recorded in 2002.

Due to his heavy drinking, Newell's health deteriorated as he aged, which led to performance problems and cancelled shows. He died at his home in Hamilton, Ontario, in 2003, two months short of his fifty-ninth birthday.

Newell was born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. His parents were Lily and Walter Newell, who was a member of the British Royal Air Force stationed in Canada during World War II. He married once, to Jacqueline Willetts in 1972, and they were divorced in 1979.

Newell played with the Barons (later renamed Son Richard and the Chessmen) from 1961 to 1965 and then with The Mid-Knights. In the summer of 1969 he helped to form And Many Others, which was Ronnie Hawkins's backing band at that time. After one LP and several U.S. appearances, Hawkins fired the entire band in early 1970, upon which the members, including Newell, formed their own band, which they named Crowbar. Newell recorded an album with Crowbar, called Official Music, through Love Productions, and then embarked on a solo career. He continued to play with Crowbar off and on for the rest of his career.

Blake "Kelly Jay" Fordham (a former Crowbar bandmate and friend) recalled that Newell had a soft spot in his heart for 1950s doo-wop music. "We'd do a medley, four chords in F, and see how many songs we could fit into it; stuff by Johnnie & Joe – "Over the Mountain; Across the Sea," and "You Belong to Me", or "Talk to Me", by Little Willie John. Each week we'd try to best ourselves, see who could come up with more. He would always find the most obscure stuff."

Richard Alfred Newell (March 9, 1944 – January 5, 2003), better known by his stage name, King Biscuit Boy, was a Canadian blues musician. He was the first Canadian blues artist to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US Newell played guitar and sang, but he was most noted for his harmonica playing. Newell's stage name, given to him by Ronnie Hawkins, was taken from the King Biscuit Time, an early American blues broadcast.