Asked to name the greatest blues singer of all time, many blues artists have chosen and will continue to choose Bobby “Blue” Bland – as have untold numbers of listeners throughout his incredible career. Bland’s uncanny ability to infuse suave, sophisticated vocals with raw emotional depth as well as a highly romantic appeal is all the more remarkable considering his lack of formal education. Born in rural Rosemark, Tennessee, near Memphis, on Jan. 27, 1930, Bland sang gospel as a youngster and came up hearing blues, field hollers, and country music; the smooth pop stylings of Tony Bennett and Perry Como were also strong influences. In Memphis, where he started singing on amateur shows at the Palace Theater, Bland became friends with B.B. King, Rosco Gordon, and Junior Parker, and to get into the scene he joined them as a chauffeur or valet. His own talent was soon recognized by Sam Phillips, who recorded Bland’s first sides in 1951, and Bland began a decades-long association with Duke Records in 1952. He and Duke labelmate Parker toured together for years in a “Blues Consolidated” package. Bland began piling up hits including “Farther Up the Road,” “I’ll Take Care of You,” “I Pity the Fool,” and “Turn On Your Lovelight,” some of them tender love songs, others dripping with blues feeling, and still others enlivened by the sanctified rhythms of the church. A star in soul music as well as blues, Bland kept himself surrounded by top-notch band musicians, producers, and songwriters as he continued to sweep audiences off their feet and add to an amazing legacy of records for Duke, ABC, and Malaco. As a vocalist who didn’t play an instrument onstage, Bland never crossed over to guitar-crazed white audiences as much as B.B. and other bluesmen did, but he attained a royal place of honor in the blues pantheon and has continued to enthrall his faithful legions over the decades.
— Jim O’Neal
www.stackhouse-bluesoterica.blogspot.com