Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland was riding high in 1961, hitting both the R&B and pop charts with his singles, headlining at clubs around the country, and making the ladies swoon, when Duke Records issued his first full LP. (He and Junior Parker had split a previous album, Blues Consolidated.) Two Steps from the Blues was an early venture into the album market for an R&B label that depended on sales of 45s; in fact Billboard did not even begin publishing R&B album charts until 1965. Duke loaded the album with hits from those 45s, including the No. 1 R&B smash ‘I Pity the Fool’ and his then-current dance workout ‘Don’t Cry No More.’ But surprisingly enough, the classic ‘Two Steps from the Blues,’ a lush blues ballad coauthored by Texas Johnny Brown, is the only song that was never released as a single, only as an album cut here. Joe Scott’s fabled arrangements are showcased to the fullest on the title track and other selections from these 1957-1960 Houston sessions.
Tracks: Two Steps From the Blues /Cry Cry Cry /I’m Not Ashamed /Don’t Cry No More /Lead Me On /I Pity the Fool //I’ve Got to Forget You /Little Boy Blue /St. James Infirmary /I’ll Take Care of You /I Don’t Want No Woman /I’ve Been Wrong So Long.
Released as Duke DLPS-74 (LP) in 1961. Reissued as MCA 27036 (LP,CD and cassette).
— Jim O’Neal