BOBBY "BLUE" BLAND
JANICE'S BLUES ALLEY PRESENTS
BOBBY "BLUE" BLAND
 | Malaco Records Website: Bobby "Blue" Bland | | Blue Flame Cafe--Bobby Blue Bland | | Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - Bobby Blue Bland | | The Blues |
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| Malaco Records Website: Bobby "Blue" Bland | | Blue Flame Cafe--Bobby Blue Bland | | Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - Bobby Blue Bland | | The Blues |
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Bobby Bland earned his enduring blues superstar status the hard way: without a guitar, harmonica, or any other instrument to fall back upon. All Bland had to offer was his magnificent voice, a tremendously powerful instrument in his early heyday, injected with charisma and melisma to spare. Just ask his legion of female fans, who deem him a sex symbol to this day.
For all his promise, Bland's musical career ignited slowly. He was a founding member of the Beale Streeters, the fabled Memphis aggregation that also included B.B. King and Johnny Ace. Singles for Chess in 1951 (produced by Sam Phillips) and Modern the next year bombed, but that didn't stop local deejay David Mattis from cutting Bland on a couple of 1952 singles for his fledgling Duke logo.
Bland's tormented crying style was still pretty rough around the edges before he entered the Army in late 1952. But his progress upon his 1955 return was remarkable; with saxist Bill Harvey's band (featuring guitarist Roy Gaines and trumpeter Joe Scott) providing sizzling support, Bland's assured vocal on the swaggering "It's My Life Baby" sounds like the work of a new man. By now, Duke was headed by hard-boiled Houston entrepreneur Don Robey, who provided top-flight bands for his artists. Scott soon became Bland's mentor, patiently teaching him the intricacies of phrasing when singing sophisticated fare (by 1962, Bland was credibly crooning "Blue Moon," a long way from Beale Street).
Most of Bland's savage Texas blues sides during the mid-to-late '50s featured the slashing guitar of Clarence Hollimon, notably "I Smell Trouble," "I Don't Believe," "Don't Want No Woman," "You Got Me (Where You Want Me)," and the torrid "Loan a Helping Hand" and "Teach Me (How To Love You)." But the insistent guitar riffs guiding Bland's first national hit, 1957's driving "Farther up the Road," were contributed by Pat Hare, another vicious picker who would eventually die in prison after murdering his girlfriend and a cop. Later, Wayne Bennett took over on guitar, his elegant fretwork prominent on Bland's Duke waxings throughout much of the '60s.
The gospel underpinnings inherent to Bland's powerhouse delivery were never more apparent than on the 1958 outing "Little Boy Blue," a vocal tour de force that wrings every ounce of emotion out of the grinding ballad. Scott steered his charge into smoother material as the decade turned -- the seminal mixtures of blues, R&B and primordial soul "I Pity the Fool," the Brook Benton-penned "I'll Take Care of You," and "Two Steps from the Blues" were tremendously influential to a legion of up-and-coming southern soulsters.
Scott's blazing brass arrangements upped the excitement ante on Bland's frantic rockers "Turn on Your Love Light" in 1961 and "Yield Not to Temptation" the next year, but the vocalist was learning his lessons so well that he sounded just as conversant on soulful R&B rhumbas (1963's "Call on Me") and polished ballads ("That's the Way Love Is," "Share Your Love with Me") as with an after-hours blues revival of T-Bone Walker's "Stormy Monday Blues" that proved a most unlikely pop hit for him in 1962. With "Ain't Nothing You Can Do," "Ain't Doing Too Bad," and "Poverty," Bland rolled through the mid-'60s, his superstar status diminishing not a whit.
In 1973, Robey sold his labels to ABC Records, and Bland was part of the deal. Without Scott and his familiar surroundings to lean on, Bland's releases grew less consistent artistically, though His California Album in 1973 and Dreamer the next year boasted some nice moments (there was even an album's worth of country standards). The singer reteamed with his old pal B.B. King for a couple of mid-'70s albums that broke no new ground but further heightened Bland's profile, while his solo work for MCA teetered closer and closer to MOR (Bland has often expressed his admiration for ultra-mellow pop singer Perry Como).
Since the mid-'80s, Bland has recorded for Jackson, MS's Malaco Records. His pipes undeniably reflect the ravages of time, and those phlegm-flecked "snorts" he habitually emits become annoying in large doses. But Bobby "Blue" Bland endures as a blues superstar of the loftiest order, resurfacing in 1998 with Memphis Monday Morning.
Bland died in Memphis in June 23, 2013 at the age of 83.
-- Bill Dahl [All Music Guide]
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01. Next Time You See Me(Parker) 02. Mother-In-Law Blues(Parker) 03. Barefoot Rock(Parker) 04. That's Alright(Parker) 05. Wondering(Parker) 06. Sittin' and Thinkin'(Parker) |
07. It's My Life, Baby 08. I Smell Trouble 09. Farther up the Road 10. Sometime Tomorrow 11. You Got Me (Where You Want Me) 12. Loan a Helping Hand |
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01. Two Steps from the Blues 02. Cry Cry Cry 03. I'm Not Ashamed 04. Don't Cry No More 05. Lead Me On 06. I Pity the Fool |
07. I've Got to Forget You 08. Little Boy Blue 09. St. James Infirmary 10. I'll Take Care of You 11. I Don't Want No Woman 12. I've Been Wrong So Long |
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01. Call on Me 02. Feeling Is Gone 03. Honky Tonk 04. Cry Lover Cry 05. Wishing You Well 06. Share Your Love |
07. That's the Way Love Is 08. Care for Me 09. No Sweeter Girl 10. Bobby's Blues 11. Ain't It a Good Thing 12. Queen for a Day |
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01. I Can't Stop 02. Back in the Same Bag 03. Let's Get Together 04. Reach Right Out 05. Ain't Nobody's Business 06. Fever |
07. Too Late for Tears 08. Deep in My Soul 09. Soul Stretch [instrumental] 10. Dear Bobby 11. Playgirl |
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01. 36-22-36 02. You're the One (That I Adore) 03. Turn on Your Love Light 04. Who Will the Next Fool Be? 05. You're Worth It All 06. Blues in the Night |
07. Your Friends 08. Ain't That Loving You 09. Jelly, Jelly, Jelly 10. Twistin' up the Road 11. Stormy Monday Blues |
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01. City Woman 02. Ain't Nothing You Can Do 03. Five Long Years 04. Call on Me |
05. If I Weren't a Gambler 06. (If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to be Right 07. This Time I'm Gone for Good 08. Up and Down World |
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01. This Time I'm Gone for Good 02. Up and Down World 03. It's Not the Spotlight 04. (If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to be right 05. Goin' Down Slow |
06. Right Place at the Right Time 07. Help Me Through the Day 08. Where My Baby Went 09. Friday the 13th Child 10. I've Got to Use My Imagination |
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01. No Blow, No Show 02. Wise Man Blues 03. Army Blues 04. Lost Lover Blues 05. It's My Life, Baby 06. Honey Bee 07. Time Out 08. Little Boy Blue |
09. Woke up Screaming 10. You've Got Bad Intentions 11. I Can't Put You Down Baby 12. I Smell Trouble 13. Don't Want No Woman 14. I Don't Believe 15. I Learned My Lesson 16. Farther up the Road |
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01. Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City 02. I Wouldn't Treat a Dog (The Way You treat me) 03. Lovin' on Borrowed Time 04. When You Come to the End of Your Road 05. I Ain't Gonna Be the First to Cry |
06. Dreamer 07. Yolanda 08. Twenty-Four Hour Blues 09. Cold Day in Hell 10. Who's Foolin' Who? |
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01. 3 O'Clock Blues 02. It's My Own Fault 03. Drifting Blues 04. That's the Way Love Is 05. I'm Sorry 06. I'll Take Care of You |
07. Don't Cry No More 08. Don't Want a Soul Hangin' Around 09. Good to Be Back Home/Driving Wheel/Rock Me 10. Everybody Wants to Know Why I Sing the blues 11. Goin' Down Slow 12. I Like to Live the Love |
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01. Let Good Times Roll 02. Medley: Stormy Monday Blues/Strange Things 03. Feel So Bad |
04. Medley: Mother-In-Law Blues/Mean Old World 05. Every Day I Have the Blues 06. Medley: The Thrill Is Gone/I Ain't Gonna... |
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01. Soul of a Man 02. I'll Be Your Fool Once More 03. Sittin' on a Poor Man's Throne 04. I Intend to Take Your Place 05. It Ain't the Real Thing |
06. It's All Over 07. If I Weren't a Gambler 08. Five Long Years 09. I Got the Same Old Blues |
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01. Come Fly With Me 02. To Be Friends 03. Love To See You Smile |
04. You Can Count On Me 05. This Bitter Earth 06. Ain't She Something |
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01. I Feel Good, I Feel Fine 02. Someone to Belong To 03. Little Mama 04. Tit for Tat |
05. I Can't Take No Mo' 06. Soon as the Weather Breaks 07. In His Eyes 08. Red Sails in the Sunset |
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01. You Got Me (Where You Want Me) 02. Loan Me a Helping Hand 03. I Pity the Fool 04. Who Will the Next Fool Be? 05. Two Steps from the Blues 06. Reconsider Baby 07. Bobby's Blues |
08. You're Worth It All 09. Don't Cry No More 10. I'm Not Ashamed 11. I'll Take Care of You 12. 36-22-36 13. Ain't No Telling 14. Yield Not to Temptation |
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01. Blue Moon 02. If I Hadn't Called You Back 03. Ask Me 'Bout Nothin' (But the Blues) 04. Jelly, Jelly, Jelly 05. When You Put Me Down 06. Blind Man 07. Chains of Love 08. Fever 09. Blues in the Night |
10. Chains of Love 11. Fever 12. Blues in the Night 13. Loneliness Hurts 14. Feeling Is Gone 15. I'm Too Far Gone (To Turn Around) 16. Black Night 17. Share Your Love With Me |
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01. Members Only 02. In the Ghetto 03. I've Just Got to Know 04. Straight from the Shoulder 05. Sweet Woman's Love |
06. Can We Make Love Tonight 07. Sweet Surrender 08. I Need Your Love So Bad 09. Heart, Open up Again |
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01. Second Hand Heart 02. After All 03. Walkin' & Talkin' & Singin' the Blues 04. I Hear You Thinkin' 05. There Ain't No Turnin' Back |
06. Love Me or Leave Me 07. Angel 08. Sunday Morning Love 09. I Stand Accused |
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01. Two Steps from the Blues 02. St. James Infirmary 03. Members Only 04. Sunday Morning Love 05. In the Ghetto 06. Sweet Woman's Love 07. Angel 08. I've Just Got to Know |
09. Can We Make Love Tonight 10. After All 11. I Hear You Thinkin' 12. Straight from the Shoulder 13. Love Me or Leave Me 14. Second Hand Heart 15. Walkin' & Talkin' & Singin' the Blues 16. Heart, Open up Again |
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01. Get Your Money Where You Spend Your Time 02. Spending My Life With You 03. Our First Blues Song 04. Restless Feelin's 05. 24 Hours a Day |
06. I've Got a Problem 07. Let's Part as Friends 08. For the Last Time 09. There's No Easy Way to Say Goodbye |
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01. You've Got to Hurt Before You Heal 02. Lay Love Aside 03. Kiss Me to the Music 04. Keep It a Secret 05. Take off Your Shoes |
06. Ain't No Sunshine When She's Gone 07. If I Don't Get Involved 08. I'm Not Ashamed to Sing the Blues 09. Midnight Run 10. Starting All over Again |
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01. Here We Go Again 02. Recess in Heaven 03. Never Let Me Go 04. Country Love 05. Exactly, Where It's At |
06. You're About to Win 07. Is This the Blues? 08. Don't Go to Strangers 09. We've Had a Good Time |
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01. Red Skies 02. Big Wall 03. Rules and Schemes 04. Deeper and Deeper 05. Stand or Fall 06. Built for the Future |
07. Saved by Zero 08. Are We Ourselves? 09. One Thing Leads to Another 10. Less Cities 11. Chase the Fire 12. Secret Separation |
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01. Three O'Clock Blues 02. It's My Own Fault 03. That's the Way Love Is 04. I'm Sorry 05. Don't Cry No More |
06. Don't Answer the Door 07. Goin' Down Slow 08. I Like to Live the Love 09. Driftin' Blues 10. Let the Good Times Roll |
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01. Ain't No Love for Sale 02. Hurtin' Love 03. These Are the Things That a Woman Needs 04. I Can Take You to Heaven Tonight 05. Last One to Know |
06. Just Take My Love 07. I Just Won't Be Your Fool Anymore 08. She's Puttin' Something in My Food 09. When Hearts Grow Cold 10. Let Love Have Its Way |
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01. Somewhere Between Right & Wrong 02. There's a Stranger in My House 03. Hole in the Wall 04. Years of Tears to Go 05. Hurtin' Time Again |
06. I Just Tripped on a Piece of Your Broken heart 07. Sweet Lady Love 08. Love of Mine 09. I've Got to Have Your Love Tonight 10. You Put the Hurt on a Hurtin' Man |
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01. Mel's Groove [instrumental] 02. Ain't That Loving You 03. I'll Take Care of You 04. Soul of a Man 05. I Intend to Take Your Place 06. Soon as the Weather Breaks |
07. Today I Started Loving You Again 08. Share Your Love With Me 09. Recess in Heaven 10. Medley: That's the Way Love Is/Ain't... 11. Medley: Feeling Is Gone/Stormy Monday... 12. Farther up the Road |
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01. Ain't That Lovin' You 02. I'll Take Care of You 03. I Pity the Fool 04. This Time I'm Gone for Good |
05. That's the Way Love Is 06. Blues Medley: Stormy Monday Blues/Guitar... 07. Encore Medley: Instrumental/Reconsider... 08. St. James Infirmary |
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01. Double Trouble 02. Sad Street 03. God Bless the Child That's Got His Own 04. Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright) 05. My Heart's Been Broken Again |
06. I've Got a Twenty Room House 07. Mind Your Own Business 08. I Wanna Tell You About the Blues 09. I Had a Dream Last Night 10. Let's Have Some Fun |
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01. Reach Right Out 02. Angel Girl 03. Building a Fire With Rain 04. Ain't Nobody's Business 05. Fever 06. Let's Get Together 07. Dear Bobby (The Note) 08. Sweet Lips of Joy 09. I Ain't Myself Anymore 10. Too Late for Tears 11. These Hands (Small But Mighty) 12. Playgirl 13. I'm Too Far Gone (To Turn Around) 14. Good Time Charlie, Pt. 1 15. Deep in My Soul 16. Sweet Loving 17. One Horse Town 18. I Can't Stop 19. Back in the Same Old Bag 20. You're All I Need 21. Poverty 22. That Did It 23. Piece of Gold 24. Sad Feeling 25. Shoes 26. Driftin' Blues 27. Gettin' Used to the Blues |
28. Road of Brokenhearted Men 29. Lover With a Reputation 30. Touch of the Blues 31. Set Me Free 32. Save Your Love for Me 33. Wouldn't You Rather Have Me 34. Rockin' in the Same Old Boat 35. This Time I'll Be True 36. Baby I'm on My Way 37. Ask Me 'Bout Nothin' (But the Blues) 38. Georgia on My Mind 39. Who Can I Turn to (When Nobody Needs Me) 40. Gotta Get to Know You 41. Chains of Love 42. Since I Fell for You 43. Yum Yum Tree 44. You Ought to Be Ashamed 45. If Love Ruled the World 46. If You Got a Heart 47. Keep on Lovin' Me (You'll See a Change) 48. I'm Sorry 49. Shape up or Ship Out 50. Love That We Share (Is True) 51. Do What You Set Out to Do 52. I'm So Tired 53. I Don't Want Another Mountain to Climb 54. That's All There Is (There Ain't No More) |
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01. Two Steps from the Blues 02. Sunday Morning Love 03. Angel 04. Second Hand Heart 05. Let's Part as Friends |
06. Midnight Run 07. Ain't No Love for Sale 08. I've Got Years of Tears to Go 09. I've Got a Twenty Room House 10. I Can Take You to Heaven Tonight |
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01. Intro 02. When Your Love Is Not Around 03. That's the Way Love Is 04. Love of Mine 05. As Soon as the Weather Breaks 06. Further on up the Road 07. I Pity the Fool 08. Ain't No Sunshine When She's Gone 09. St. James Infirmary 10. I'll Take Care of You |
11. Get Your Money Where You Spend Your Time 12. You've Got to Hurt Before You Heal 13. Sunday Morning Love 14. If You're Gonna' Walk on My Love 15. Bobby Rush, Johnnie Taylor Introduction ["Rap"] 16. Stormy Monday 17. Double Trouble/She's Puttin' Somethin' in my food 18. Members Only 19. 24 Hours of the Day |
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01. I'm Bobby "B" 02. I Don't Want No Kickin' in My Stall 03. There's a Rat Loose in My House 04. Truth Will Set You Free 05. Memphis Monday Morning |
06. I'm Glad 07. My Baby Is the Only One 08. I Hate Missin' You 09. You Left Me With the Blues 10. Lookin' for Some Tush |
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01. Mels Groove 02. Ain't That Loving You 03. I'll Take Care Of You 04. Soul Of A Man 05. I Intend To Take Your Place 06. Soon As The Weather Breaks |
07. Today I Started Loving You Again 08. Share Your Love With Me 09. Recess In Heaven 10. That's The Way Love Is/Nothing You Can Do 11. Feeling Is Gone/Stormy Monday Blues 12. Farther Up The Road |
