More Info on Bobby Blue BlandSimilar Undetermined MusicSearch Artistopia
Biography
Infobox musical artist | name = Bobby "Blue" Bland| image = BobbyBland1996.jpg| caption = Bobby Bland at the Long Beach Blues Festival, 1996| background = solo_singer| birth_name = Robert Calvin Bland| alias = "The Lion of the Blues"| birth_date = birthdate and age|1930|1|27 Rosemark, Tennessee , United States | instrument = singing|Vocals , harmonica | genre = Blues , soul blues , R& B , soul music|soul | occupation = Singer-songwriter , music arranger|arranger , bandleader | label = Chess Records|Chess , Modern Records|Modern , Malaco Records|Malaco , Duke Records|Duke , ABC| associated_acts = B.B. King , Lonnie Mack | website = http://www.bobbybluebland.com bobbybluebland.com Robert Calvin Bland (born January 27, 1930) better known as Bobby "Blue" Bland , is an American singer of blues and soul music|soul . He is an original member of the Beale Streeters,cite web | title=Bobby 'Blue' Bland | publisher=Livinblues | url= http://www.livinblues.com/bluesrooms/bobbybland.asp | accessdate=2007-08-09 and is sometimes referred to as the "Lion of the Blues". Along with such artists as Sam Cooke , Ray Charles , and JuniorParker , Bland developed a sound that mixed Gospel music|gospel with the blues and Rhythm and blues|R& B .
Bobby Bland was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1981, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992, and received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997.cite web | title=Biography Bobby "Blue" Bland - Blues Singer | publisher=All About Jazz | url= http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/musician.php? id=5072 | accessdate=2007-08-09
Biography
Bobby "Blue" Bland was born in the small town of Rosemark, Tennessee . Later moving to Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis with his mother, Bland started singing with local Gospel music|gospel groups there, including amongst others The Miniatures. Eager to expand his interests, he began frequenting the city's famous Beale Street where he became associated with an ad hoc circle of aspiring musicians named, not unnaturally, the Beale Streeters.
Bland's recordings from the early 1950s show him striving for individuality, but any progress was halted by a spell in the U.S. Army . When the singer returned to Memphis in 1954 he found several of his former associates, including Johnny Ace , enjoying considerable success, while Bland's recording label, Duke, had been sold to Houston entrepreneur Don Robey . In 1956 Bland began touring with Little JuniorParker . Initially he doubled as valet and driver, a role he reportedly fulfilled for B. B. King and Rosco Gordon . cite web| title = Bobby Blue Bland | publisher = Pbase, soulful impressions | url = http://www.pbase.com/soulfulimpressions/bobby_bland | accessdate = 2007-08-09 Simultaneously, Bland began asserting his characteristic vocal style. Melodic big-band blues singles, including " Farther Up the Road " (1957) and "Little Boy Blue" (1958) reached the US R& B Top 10, but Bobby's craft was most clearly heard on a series of early 1960s releases including "Cry Cry Cry", " I Pity The Fool " and the sparkling " Turn On Your Love Light ", which became a much-covered standard. Despite credits to the contrary, many such classic works were written by Joe Scott, the artist's bandleader and arranger.
Personal life
BLP unsourced section|date=June 2009Bland continued to enjoy a consistent run of R& B chart entries throughout the mid-'60s. Never truly breaking into the mainstream market, Bland's highest charting song on the pop chart, "Ain't Nothing YouCan Do" peaked at #20 during the same week The Beatles held down the Top 5 spots. Bland's records mostly sold on the R& B market and he had 23 Top Ten hits on the Billboard R& B chart s and in the 1996 Top R& B book by Joel Whitburn , Bland was rated the #13 all-time best selling artist.
Financial pressures forced the singer to cut his touring band and in 1968 the group broke up. He suffered from Depression (mood)|depression and became increasingly dependent on alcohol. He stopped drinking in 1971; his record company Duke Records|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 His California Album and Dreamer , arranged by Michael Omartian and produced by ABC staff man Steve Barri. The 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.
The first single released from His California Album , "This Time I'm Gone For Good" took Bland back into the pop Top 50 for the first time since 1964 and made the R& B top 10 in late 1973. The lead-off track from Dreamer , " Ain't No Love In the Heart of the City ", was a strong R& B hit. Later it would surface again in 1978 by the hard rock band Whitesnake featuring singer DavidCoverdale . Much later it was sampled by Kanye West on Jay-Z 's Hip Hop album The Blueprint (2001). The song is also featured on the soundtrack of the crime drama The Lincoln Lawyer (film)|The Lincoln Lawyer (2011) starring Matthew McConaughey .cite web | title=The Lincoln Lawyer (Soundtrack) | publisher=blogs.indiewire.com | url= http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/archives/the_lincoln_lawyer_soundtrack_features_erik_b._rakim_gang_starr_deadmau5_mo/ | accessdate=2011-03-24 The follow-up, "I Wouldn't Treat A Dog" was his biggest R& B hit for some years, climbing to #3 in late 1974, but as usual his strength was never the pop chart (where it hit #88). Subsequent attempts at adding a Disco music|disco / Barry White flavor were mostly unsuccessful. A return to his roots in 1980 for a tribute album to his mentor Joe Scott, produced by music veterans Monk Higgins and Al Bell , resulted in a fine album Sweet Vibrations , but it failed to sell well outside of his traditional " chitlin circuit " base.
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.
Ireland|Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison was an early adherent of Bland (he covered "Ain't Nothing You Can't Do" on his 1974 live album '' It's Too Late to Stop Now ) and has on occasion had Bland as a guest singer at his concerts. He also included a previously unreleased version of a March 2000 duet of Morrison and Bland singing " Tupelo Honey (Van Morrison song)|Tupelo Honey " on his 2007 compilation album, The Best of Van Morrison Volume 3 ''. America's Got Talent semifinalist Queen Emily covered Bland's 1987 "No Easy Way to Say Goodbye" on her solo debut. http://www.covermesongs.com/2010/08/queen-emily-belts-classic-soul-on-bobby-“blue”-bland-standard-cover-me-premiere.html
"That's The WayLove Is" / "Call On Me" - 1962 (Duke Records) (1/43)
"Call On Me" / "That's The WayLove Is" - 1962 (Duke Records) flipped over (5/22)
"Sometimes You Gotta Cry A Little" / "You're Worth It All" - 1963 (Duke Records) (28/56)
"Shoes" / "A Touch Of The Blues" - 1967 (Duke Records)
" Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City " / "Twenty-Four Hour Blues" - 1974 (ABC Dunhill Records)
See also
Tribute to Bobby , a solo tribute debut album by Simply Red singer Mick Hucknall
References
Reflist
External links
http://www.soulfulkindamusic.net/bbland.htm Bobby Bland discography
http://www.wlatalent.com/roster/bobby_bland/artistprofile.htm Bobby Bland at http://www.wlatalent.com/ Wenig-Lamonica Associates
http://www.authenticblues.com/component/muscol/B/30-bobby-bland.html Bobby Blue Bland at http://www.authenticblues.com AuthenticBlues.com
Persondata | NAME = Bland, Bobby | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | SHORT DESCRIPTION = American blues and soul music|soul singer | DATE OF BIRTH = January 27, 1930 | PLACE OF BIRTH = Rosemark, Tennessee , United States | DATE OF DEATH = | PLACE OF DEATH = DEFAULTSORT:Bland, Bobby Category:1930 births Category:Living people Category:African American singers Category:American blues singers Category:American soul singers Category:American male singers Category:Electric blues musicians Category:Blues Hall of Fame inductees Category:Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees? Category:Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners Category:Kent Records artists Category:Duke Records artists Category:Soul-blues musicians Category:People from Shelby County, Tennessee Category:Northern soul musicians
cs:Bobby Bland da:Bobby Bland de:Bobby Bland es:Bobby Bland fr:Bobby Blue Bland it:Bobby Bland ja:???·???? no:Bobby Bland pl:Bobby Blue Bland ru:?????, ????? fi:Bobby Bland sv:Bobby Bland
