MUMBAI: Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee veteran Blues singer Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland, died on 23 June. He was 83.
Bland, who blended Southern Blues and Soul music and gave it class died of complications from an ongoing illness at his Memphis, Tennessee home, his son Rodd Bland said.
Known as the ‘Sinatra of the Blues,’ Bland was influenced by contemporary stars like Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra whom he openly imitated on the cover of his ‘Two Steps From The Blues’ album.
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Bland worked as valet and chauffer to his contemporary Blues artist BB King at one point. He was one of the last remaining artist to be connected with the roots of the Blues.
Born Robert Calvin Bland in Rosemark, Tennessee in 1930, Bland recorded at famed Sun Records in the early 50s’ after a stint in the army.
He scored his first No 1 on the R&B charts with ‘Further On Up the Road’ in 1957. Then, beginning with ‘I’ll Take Care of You’ in early 1960, Bland released a dozen R&B hits in a row. That string included ‘Turn On Your Love Light’ in 1961.
Bland charted more than 60 R&B hits — including 27 top-10 numbers and three No 1 tracks from the 1940s. His best-known numbers included ‘Further On Up the Road’, ‘I Pity the Fool’, ‘Turn On Your Love Light’ and ‘Ain’t Nothing You Can Do’. He reached the lower rungs of the pop charts with 37 of his singles.
Though he did not go pop like BB King, Bland influenced artists like Eric Clapton, Van Morrison, the Band and Grateful Dead.
His ‘I Pity the Fool’ in 1961 was recorded by many rock bands, including David Bowie and Eric Clapton, who has made ‘Further On Up the Road’ part of his repertoire.
He was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1981 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. He was honoured with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997.
“He brought a certain level of class to the blues genre,” said Lawrence ‘Boo’ Mitchell, son of legendary musician and producer Willie Mitchell.
