About

Songwriters Jim Purtell and Ricki E. Bellos met through a Songwriters of Wisconsin International meeting and Jim was impressed with a critique Ricki did of one of his songs.  A few days later, Jim sought out Ricki and asked if she’d like to tinker with some of his lyrics on a song called "If This Is Love" and he was impressed with her work.

Since that time, June 2010, Jim and Ricki have partnered up (Jim writes the melodies and Ricki writes the lyrics) and written over eighty songs in a variety of styles as exemplified on their new 2011 release entitled AECOS (an eclectic collection of songs) featuring Jon Statham and Lisa Mowry, produced by Jon Statham and Jim Hendrick.  Jim Purtell was the executive producer for the CD.

Music fans who are drawn to easy listening music will hear hints of Ricki and Jim's musical influences including sounds reminiscent of James Taylor, Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, Lucinda Williams, Brian Wilson, Vince Gill and the Beatles.

In January 2012, Ricki and Jim released their second CD called SECOS featuring Jon Statham and Elise Lieberth produced by Jon Statham and Jim Hendrick.  Jim Purtell was the executive producer for this CD as well.

Jim and Ricki have entered only two song contests to date and they were finalists in the 2010 Nashville Songdoor Songwriting Contest with a song called "IF I Ever Saw You Again" and they won the 2011 Ft. Myers, FL song contest sponsored by the Ft. Myers News-Press with a song called "If I Close My Eyes".  Both of these winning tunes are on AECOS with ten other songs.

Their most recent project, in collaboration with Al Torsiello, is "Vietnam: There and Back," a collection of songs written by Jim and Al, who served side-by-side in Vietnam, 1968.