Blues And Rock And Roll Hall Of Famer Bobby "Blue" Bland Dies At 83 - Noise11.com
Bobby Blue Bland

Bobby Blue Bland

Blues And Rock And Roll Hall Of Famer Bobby “Blue” Bland Dies At 83

by Roger Wink, VVN Music on June 24, 2013

in News

Blues and R&B great Bobby “Blue” Bland has died at the age of 83.

While details are slim at this time, the news came from the Memphis Music Foundation’s Pat Mitchell Worley via Memphis station WREG. Worley wrote “It is a great loss for the blues and for Memphis Music. He was a trail blazer and his music will be missed.”

Robert Calvin “Bobby” Bland was born in Rosemark, Tennessee in 1930. When he later moved with his mother to Memphis, he started singing in local gospel groups although, as time wore on, he eventually started hitting the scene on Beale Street and branching out into other forms of music.

Bland became a part of the “Beale Streeters” which also included Johnny Ace, Junior Parker and B.B. King. He began recording in the early 50’s for Modern and Chess but was pulled away by a stint in the U.S. Army. Upon his return, he fell in again with many of the Beale Streeters and eventually signed with Duke Records where he had his breakout hit, 1957’s Farther Up the Road (#1 R&B / #43 Pop).

Over the next twenty eight years, Bland would hit the R&B charts 63 times including 25 top tens and three number ones (Road, I Pity the Fool (1961) and That’s the Way Love Is (1963)). Even with his immense popularity with R&B fans, he was never able to cross over to the pop charts, scoring his biggest hits with 1961’s Turn On Your Love Light (#2 R&B / #28 Pop), 1963’s Call On Me (the flip side of That’s the Way Love Is) (#6 R&B / #22 Pop) and 1964’a Ain’t Nothing You Can Do (#20 R&B / #20 Pop).

From a critical standpoint, Bland’s career peaked in the early 70’s after he beat depression and alcohol addiction with the LP’s California Album (1973), Dreamer (1974) and Reflections in Blue (1977).

In the 80’s, he signed with Malaco Records and continued to release southern soul recordings while touring both as a solo artist and with good friend B.B. King.

Bland is a member of the Blues Hall of Fame (1981), Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1992) and received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997.

Stay updated with your free Noise11 daily music newsletter. Subscribe to Noise11 Music News here

Related Posts

Little Jimmy Dickens
Opry Legend Little Jimmy Dickens Has Radiation Treatment On His Vocal Cords

Little Jimmy Dickens, who has been a regular at the Grand Ole Opry for 66 years, will be missing a few weeks of performances while he undergoes radiation therapy on his vocal cords.

June 26, 2013
Slim Whitman
Slim Whitman Passes Away At 90

Most people today know him from late-night TV commercials hawking various packages but, for those listening to country from the 50's to the 70's, he was a regular visitor to the airwaves. Slim Whitman died earlier today after being admitted to the hospital on Tuesday after suffering heart problems. He was 90.

June 20, 2013
Liberace, Noise11, Photo
Liberace Was The King Of Bling

Rob Lowe dubs legendary late musician Liberace as the founder of all modern bling.

May 28, 2013
Marshall Lytle
Bill Haley & His Comets’ Bass Player Marshall Lytle Dies At 79

Marshall Lytle, the bass player for Bill Haley and His Comets during their biggest era, died on Saturday morning at 3:30 AM at his home in Port Richie, FL after battling lung cancer. He was 79.

May 27, 2013
Gordon Stoker
Gordon Stoker Of The Jordanaires Passes Away At 88

Gordon Stoker, tenor and manager of the Jordanaires who spent years backing Elvis Presley along with many other greats, died on Wednesday after a long illness at the age of 88.

March 28, 2013