Robert Calvin Bland (né Robert Calvin Brooks; January 27, 1930 – June 23, 2013), known professionally as Bobby "Blue" Bland, was an American blues singer. Bland developed a sound that mixed gospel with the blues and R&B. He was sometimes referred to as the "Lion of the Blues" and as the "Sinatra of the Blues".
Bland was born Robert Calvin Brooks in the small town of
Barretville, Tennessee. His father, I.J. Brooks, abandoned the family not long
after Robert's birth. Robert later acquired the name "Bland" from his
stepfather, Leroy Bridgeforth, who was also called Leroy Bland. With his
mother, Bland moved to Memphis in 1947, where he started singing with local
gospel groups, including the Miniatures.
In his late teens he hung out in the city with King, the pianist
Rosco Gordon and the singer Johnny Ace, an informal musical gang known as the
Beale Streeters. Bland released his first single for Duke in 1955. In 1956 he
began touring on the chitlin' circuit with Junior Parker in a revue called
Blues Consolidated, initially doubling as Parker's valet and driver. He began
recording for Duke with the bandleader Bill Harvey and the arranger Joe Scott,
asserting his characteristic vocal style and, with Harvey and Scott, beginning
to craft the melodic big-band blues singles for which he became famous, often
accompanied by the guitarist Wayne Bennett. Unlike many blues musicians, Bland
played no instrument.
Some of Bland's best work, done under Scott's direction in
1960-63, appeared on the albums Two Steps from the Blues, Here's the Man... and
Call on Me, such as the ferocious homily Yield Not to Temptation, the joyous
Turn on Your Love Light and a virtuoso reading of the blues standard (Call It)
Stormy Monday, featuring a guitar line by Wayne Bennett that has become a blues
guitarists' set piece. Occasionally, saccharine songs and lush orchestrations
would move Bland rather more than two steps from the blues, but his admirers
endured his straying and waited for him to find his way back with poised
renderings of strong material such as Blind Man and Black Night.
Financial pressures forced the singer to cut his touring
band and in 1968 the group broke up. He suffered from depression and became
increasingly dependent on alcohol. He stopped drinking in 1971; his record
company Duke was sold by owner Don Robey to the larger ABC Records group. This
resulted in several successful and critically acclaimed contemporary blues/soul
albums including the later "follow-up" in 1977 Reflections in Blue,
were all recorded in Los Angeles and featured many of the city's top sessionmen
at the time.
Subsequent attempts at adding a disco/Barry White flavour were
mostly unsuccessful. In 1985, Bland was signed by Malaco Records, specialists
in traditional Southern black music for whom he made a series of albums while
continuing to tour and appear at concerts with fellow blues singer B. B. King.
The two had collaborated for two albums in the 1970s. Despite occasional
age-related ill-health, Bland continues to record new albums for Malaco,
perform occasional tours alone, with guitarist/producer Angelo Earl and also
with B.B. King, plus appearances at blues and soul festivals worldwide.
Bland continued performing until shortly before his death.
He died on June 23, 2013, at his home in Germantown, Tennessee, a suburb of
Memphis, after what family members described as "an ongoing illness".
He was 83.
Bland was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1981, the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992, and the Memphis Music Hall of Fame in 2012.
He received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997.The Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame described him as "second in stature only to B.B. King as a
product of Memphis's Beale Street blues scene"
(Edited from Wikipedia & The Guardian)
4 comments:
For “Bobby Blue Bland - It's My Life - The Singles As & Bs 1951-1960” go here:
https://www.upload.ee/files/9482263/BobbyBlueBland-1951-1960.rar.html
Disc 1
1. LOVE YOU TILL THE DAY I DIE
2. CRYING ALL NIGHT LONG
3. DRY UP BABY
4. LOVE MY BABY
5. DRIFTING FROM TOWN TO TOWN
6. GOOD LOVIN'
7. I.O.U. BLUES
8. LOVIN' BLUES
9. NO BLOW NO SHOW
10. ARMY BLUES
11. WISE MAN BLUES
12. LOST LOVER BLUES
13. HONEY BEE
14. IT'S MY LIFE BABY
15. TIME OUT
16. YOU OR NONE
17. I WOKE UP SCREAMING
18. A MILLION MILES FROM NOWHERE
19. YOU'VE GOT BAD INTENTIONS
20. I CAN'T PUT YOU DOWN
Disc 2
1. I DON'T BELIEVE
2. I LEARNED MY LESSON
3. I SMELL TROUBLE
4. DON'T WANT NO WOMAN
5. SOMETIME TOMORROW
6. FURTHER ON UP THE ROAD
7. BOBBY'S BLUES
8. TEACH ME HOW TO LOVE YOU
9. LOAN A HELPING HAND
10. YOU GOT ME (WHERE YOU WANT ME)
11. LAST NIGHT
12. LITTLE BOY BLUE
13. YOU DID ME WRONG
14. I LOST SIGHT OF THE WORLD
15. I'M NOT ASHAMED
16. WISHING WELL
17. IS IT REAL
18. SOMEDAY
19. THAT'S WHY
20. I'LL TAKE CARE OF YOU
21. HOLD ME TENDERLY
22. LEAD ME ON
23. CRY CRY CRY
24. I'VE BEEN WRONG FOR SO LONG
25. I PITY THE FOOL
26. CLOSE TO YOU
Bobby Bland was one of the greatest of all American R&B singers and Jasmine Records were the first ever to compile all of Bland’s singles A and B sides on one 2CD set from his first in 1951 to the end of 1960. It includes many of his greatest hits like, 'Further on up the Road', 'I Pity the Fool' and 'I'll Take Care of You'.
Hi, I am really enjoying the blog thanks for the great music! I noticed the link to "Bobby Blue Bland - It's My Life - The Singles As & Bs 1951-1960" is not working. Is there any way you could re upload the album? Please and a huge thank you in advance.
Hello Unknown, Here's the new link.
https://www.upload.ee/files/13853506/Bobby_Blue_Bland-IMLB.rar.html
Fantatsic compilation, Thank you for sharing.
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