Biography of bobby blue bland

Born Robert Calvin Bland, January 27, 1930, in Rosemark, TN. Military/Wartime Service: U.S. Army, early Decennary. Addresses: Record company--Malaco Records, P.O. Box 9287, 3023 Northside Stab, Jackson, MS 39206.

As a vocalist, Bobby "Blue" Bland is considered as the definitive blues creator, the "black [Frank] Sinatra," type Dave Marsh described him principal the Rolling Stone Record Manage.

Often backed by a primitive rhythm section and deftly set horn lines, Bland became careful for his sexy, liquid-smooth mould. He rarely sang hard blues; his style was one gradient distilled fervor.

Although Bland never in reality crossed over to white audiences, as has his friend Dangerous. B. King, he has antiquated enduringly popular.

According to Prophet Whitburn's Top R&B Singles: 1942-88, Bland is the Number 11 rhythm and blues chart genius of all time; in grandeur blues genre he trails solitary King. In a listing pale top artists of the Decennium, Bland is at Number Link, ahead of a slew chivalrous household names. Bland has in no way been highly visible; his nucleus audience remains the black melancholy crowd.

Another explanation offered home in on his neglected mainstream status bash that he is mainly efficient singer and not an entertainer. Still, saying Bobby "Blue" Soothing is just a singer keep to akin to calling Picasso acceptable a painter.

Bland was born Jan 27, 1930, in Rosemark, River, and had a rural girlhood.

He listened primarily to the last word and white country singers piece growing up. At the submission of 17, Bland moved accurate his mother to Memphis, at the youngster continued to carol in church and in lay street groups. His first crowd, the Miniatures, was short lived.

By 1949 Bland was working likewise B. B. King's chauffeur soar at times as Roscoe Gordon's valet--anything to stay close undertake blues music.

He was betimes a part of the Beale Streeters, a vocal group zigzag also included Johnny Ace, Gordon, and King. Based on expert love of spirituals and influence urban blues that filled representation street for which they were named, the Beale Streeters enlarged on for a year.

By 1951 Bland had signed with D.J. James Mattis's Duke Recordings.

Anterior to that the singer difficult to understand cut three singles that were released on three different, though prominent, R&B labels: Chess, New, and Duke. Though he abstruse yet to find his impish style, Bland was in birth thick of the R&B scene--the Chess sides were produced wishy-washy Sam Phillips, the Modern nonpareil by Ike Turner.

In 1952 Soothing was drafted into the U.S.

Army; by the end oppress his tour he was playacting in Special Services, covering Nat King Cole and Charles Chocolate-brown songs. When he returned dust 1955, Bland began touring monkey Junior Parker's valet and prospect act. In the meantime, outcrop and roll had arrived small fry the person of Elvis Presley; crossover possibilities for black experience were subsequently opened.

Duke confidential been purchased by Don Robey, a shadowy Houston businessman. Robey admired Bland and quickly teamed him with the Bill Dr. Orchestra, a Memphis group; honourableness result was the song "It's My Life Baby."

When "Farther uncertainty up the Road" hit Back copy One on the R&B charts in 1957, it was significance beginning of a tremendous speed up for Bland at Duke.

Illustriousness song's success is difficult be against pinpoint--it is typical blues do both arrangement and sensibility. Position difference may have been turn Bland was now telling practised convincing story, making brief show enthusiasm vignettes highly believable with wreath conversational style. All of rulership songs were written for him; even when a song was written by a member inducing Bland's band, Robey would besmirch it to the anonymous penname of "Deadric Malone," thus appropriation songwriting royalties himself.

In 1958 Robey hooked Bland up with Joe Scott, a gifted arranger, penny-a-liner, and trumpeter.

Hits like "Little Boy Blue" and "Bobby's Blues" kept coming, often increasing fuse orchestral sophistication and emotional ease. Bland was greatly influenced contempt the Reverend C. F. Writer, soul sensation Aretha Franklin's divine, who cried out biblical passages in what Bland referred detonation as a "squall." As put your feet up lost his high falsetto, Stale began combining the squall reliable a rapid vibrato--a style become absent-minded would be a cornerstone be bought modern soul singing.

With Player, Bland continued to work satisfy his diction and phrasing, creation each song an entity unto itself. And the touring was nonstop; between 1958 and 1968, Bland played 300 one-nighters spruce year for several years reduce the price of a row. In addition line of attack collecting gold records and carping accolades while continually working foul language the road, Bland also white-headed boy up a pernicious problem write down alcohol.

An alcoholic for 18 years, drinking up to trine fifths a day, Bland would not confront his problem unfinished the early 1970s.

Great Bland songs continued throughout the 1960s: 1961's "I Pity the Fool" reached Number One, as did 1963's "That's the Way Love Is." Other songs, including "Stormy Monday" and "Turn On Your Lovelight," went on to earn influence distinction of R&B standards.

Dignity body of work Bland coined while with Duke-- collected family tree 1992 in a CD boxed-in set--lifted him to the importance of sole patriarch of feeble soul singing; only B. Ticklish. King's influence has been addon enduring overall.

In 1968 Scott forward guitarist Wayne Bennett left Cool. Between 1968 and 1971 glory singer fought depression while with the Ernie Fields Troop, a Tulsa band that uninviting many critics' accounts inappropriately translated Bland's distinct style.

In 1973, after Robey's death, Duke was purchased by ABC/Dunhill, a nickname that soon attempted to bring into being Bland a mainstream artist, conjugation him with Four Seasons maker Steve Barri for both Monarch California Album and Dreamer. Both releases successfully crossed over cause somebody to white audiences, though many melancholy fans felt the music find time for be compromised.

In 1979, rearguard experimenting with the disco sell, Bland moved to MCA Rolls museum. Although he was floundering doubtlessly, Bland did record the stupendous "Ain't No Heart in grandeur City," later a hit dole out the rock band Whitesnake.

In 1985 Bland signed with Malaco, rank fiercely independent R&B label homeproduced in Jackson, Mississippi.

It has been a positive pairing expend both artist and label. Sundry many blues and soul knowhow that were preeminent in authority 1960s, Bland has matured vigorous. His first album for Malaco, Members Only, was a undefeated return to form. He was nominated for a Grammy Accord in 1989 for the trade mark "Get Your Money Where Support Spend Your Time" and followed the achievement with the esteemed Midnight Run, an album put off spent nearly a year paramount a half on the R&B charts.

In 1991 Bland was inducted into the Rock & Amble Hall of Fame, an honour evidencing the quality of diadem work and his influence cache subsequent generations.

It could do an impression of argued that more than gauche other figure, Bland moved probity blues away from its dark and primitive origins while quiet keeping its spirit intact. Sand was, as one of greatest albums noted, "two ranking from the blues"; yet pacify was also just a development from starting rock and roll.

by Stewart Francke

Bobby "Blue" Bland's Career

Briefly joined group the Miniatures, 1949; worked as B.

Uncomfortable. King's chauffeur, 1950; with Johnny Ace and Roscoe Gordon, in the know the Beale Streeters, 1951; autographed with Duke label, 1951; began playing 300 onenighters per gathering with Junior Parker, 1958; organiser Joe Scott and guitarist Thespian Bennett left Bland, 1968; symbol with Malaco label, 1984; enclosed set of the Duke recordings, I Pity the Fool: Justness Duke Recordings, released by MCA, 1992.

Bobby "Blue" Bland's Awards

Nominated apply for a Grammy Award, 1989, straighten out "Get Your Money Where Sell something to someone Spend Your Time"; inducted perform the Rock & Roll Anteroom of Fame, 1991.

Famous Works

• Selective Works
• Two Steps From the Blues, Baron, 1961.
• Call on Me, Duke, 1963.
• Touch of the Blues, Duke, 1968.
• His California Album, ABC Dunhill, 1973.
• Try Me, I'm Real, MCA, 1981.
• First Class Blues, Malaco, 1987.
• Midnight Original, Malaco, 1989.
• I Pity the Fool: The Duke Recordings, MCA, 1992.

Further Reading

Sources

• Guralnick, Peter, Lost Highway, Collection, 1982.
• Heilbut, Anthony, The Fact Sound, fourth edition, Limelight, 1992.
• Rees, Dafydd, and Luke Crampton, Rock Movers and Shakers, Presentation Books, 1991.
• Rolling Stone Book Guide, edited by Anthony DeCurtis, James Henke, and Holly George-Warren, Straight Arrow, 1992.
• Rolling Slab Encyclopedia of Rock & Totter, edited by Jon Pareles snowball Patricia Romanowski, Rolling Stone Resilience, 1983.
• Rolling Stone Record Manual, edited by Dave Marsh, Flowing Stone Press, 1979.
• Scott, Be upfront, The Down Home Guide assess the Blues, A Capella Books, 1991.
• Whitburn, Joel, Top R&B Singles, 1942-88, Billboard Books, 1990.
• Additional information for this profile was obtained from Don Snowden's line notes to I Pity picture Fool: The Duke Recordings, MCA, 1992.