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At the ripe young age of 23, Drake Bell is already a showbiz veteran. He's shared the big screen with Tom Cruise, John Cusack and Roger Daltrey, enjoyed a successful run as the co-star of Nickelodeon's "The Drake and Josh Show" and released two albums.

Bell is also a survivor of a different kind. In late 2005, he was seriously injured when his 1966 Mustang was struck head-on by a truck at an intersection on the Pacific Coast Highway.

After suffering a broken jaw, fracturing his neck and losing six teeth, Bell feared he might not be able to resume his performing career.

"There was a dark period," recalls Bell, who makes his Atlantic City debut 8 p.m. Saturday, July 18, at Tropicana Casino and Resort. "I was bound to a bed. I thought I was never going to act again and never going to sing again."

Fortunately, Bell did recover, and his new lease on life inspired a much different tone in his songwriting, notably on his 2006 album, "It's Only Time."

"When my voice started to come back and I was singing through my wires, everything that came out was super happy," he says. "It completely changes you. The last record I did - 'It's Only Time' - the reason a lot of the songs are so happy and poppy and upbeat is because I got into my accident. I was writing a lot of dark material. I said, 'What am I doing? I'm not depressed. I'm alive - I want to live.'"

For his next recording, which he hopes to release by early 2010, Bell is continuing in the same vein, albeit with a leaner sound.

"It falls in line with my other music, but is a little more stripped down," he says. "If 'It's Only Time' was my 'Sgt. Pepper,' this is my 'Let It Be.' I'm not saying this record is like 'Let It Be." I'm just saying it's my stripped-down version."

The Beatles reference is an apt one, considering Bell's love of classic pop and rock, including everyone from the Fab Four and The Who to Elvis and the Beach Boys.

"My dad was into classic rock, but I really found out about it on my own," he says. "I'm a big vinyl collector. I was obsessed with the history of rock 'n' roll."

Meeting Daltrey as a young teen on the set of the 1998 film, "Changing Destiny," helped solidify Bell's love of music and desire to perform. The lead singer of The Who encouraged him to check out other seminal artists, including Brian Wilson and Bob Dylan.

"I first started playing guitar not too long before I worked with Roger," Bell recalls. "I think it did have a big impact on letting me know, 'Hey, this is what you need to be doing.'"

Having the bigger picture in mind could help Bell transition from being a star on Nick, where he first connected with young viewers as part of the cast of "The Amanda Show," to building a broader audience for his music.

"I've been fortunate to have my audience be my age my entire life - I think they're just going to grow with me," he says. "I don't try to cater to any one age bracket. When I sit down to write a song, I don't go, 'This is going to be played to 15- or 16-year-olds.' I just write what I write."

Drake Bell at Tropicana

WHEN: 8 p.m. Saturday, July 18

WHERE: Showroom, Tropicana Casino

& Resort, Atlantic City

HOW MUCH: Tickets, priced at $35, $45 and $65, are available at the Tropicana box office or Ticketmaster at 800-736-1420 or www.ticketmaster.com.

WEB SITE: www.drakebell.com

Drake Bell on his famous costars

John Cusack, left ("High Fidelity," "The Jack Bull"): "All the movies he does are with the same people - they've got their stuff down and are all amazing. John is very serious. He's very into what he does. He's very focused, focused, focused. It's a great experience. You learn so much from him."

Roger Daltrey ("Changing Destiny"): "That was amazing (to work with him). Growing up on (classic rock), to be able to go in with someone's who's a rock legend was a trip. He's so into the work and so humble, while everyone around him was like, 'This is Roger Daltrey!'"

Tom Cruise, right ("Jerry Maguire"): "He was so gracious when we were working together. He's the kind of actor that, when it's break time, he says, 'Come into my trailer, let's play computer games.' He's there to work and be super professional, but also there to make everyone feel comfortable."

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