Bobby Bland

Not to be confused with Bob Bland.

Bobby Bland
Bland in 1998
Bland in 1998
Background information
Birth nameRobert Calvin Brooks
Also known asBobby "Blue" Bland
Born(1930-01-27)January 27, 1930
Barretville, Tennessee, U.S.
DiedJune 23, 2013(2013-06-23) (aged 83)
Germantown, Tennessee, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
InstrumentVocals
Labels
Formerly of

Robert Calvin Bland (born 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.[1] He was described as "among the great storytellers of blues and soul music... [who] created tempestuous arias of love, betrayal and resignation, set against roiling, dramatic orchestrations, and left the listener drained but awed."[2] The inspiration behind his unique style was a Detroit Preacher, CL Franklin, because Bland studied his sermons.[3] He was sometimes referred to as the "Lion of the Blues" and as the "Sinatra of the Blues".[4] His music was influenced by Nat King Cole.[5]

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.[6] He received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997.[7] 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".[4] In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked Bland at number 163 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.[8]

  1. ^ "Bobby 'Blue' Bland". Livinblues.com. Archived from the original on August 24, 2007. Retrieved August 9, 2007.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference guardian was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Russell, Tony (June 24, 2013). "Bobby 'Blue' Bland obituary". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Bobby Bland". BBC News. June 24, 2013. Retrieved June 25, 2013.
  5. ^ "Bobby 'Blue' Bland, Known for 'Further On Up the Road' and 'Turn on Your Love Light', Dies". Washingtonpost.com. June 24, 2013. Archived from the original on June 24, 2013. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
  6. ^ "Bobby "Blue" Bland | Memphis Music Hall of Fame". memphismusichalloffame.com.
  7. ^ "Bobby Bland: Biography". AllAboutJazz.com. Archived from the original on December 26, 2007. Retrieved August 9, 2007.
  8. ^ "The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time". Rolling Stone. January 1, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2023.