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Bobby 'Blue' Bland

Bobby "Blue" Bland is one of the eminent patriarchs of modern soul singing, his distinctively grainy vocal style drawing on gospel and blues. Raised in Memphis, he joined a gospel ensemble, the Miniatures, in the late 1940s. He later met guitarist B.B. King and joined the Beale Streeters, an informal group of Memphis blues musicians that included King, Johnny Ace, Roscoe Gordon, and Willie Nix. But not until 1954 (after working as King's chauffer) did he land his first recording contract, when an executive at Duke Records heard him sing at a Houston talent show.

His first successful single, "It's My Life, Baby," was released in 1955. He played one-nighters around the country accompanied by his band, led by tenor saxophonist Bill Harvey and trumpeter/arranger Joe Scott. Members of the band, under the pseudonym Deadric Malone, wrote or co-wrote most of Bland's material. His band was bigger and brassier than most current blues bands, and anticipated the rich sound of 1960s soul music while harking back to big-band jazz.

Since 1957, when "Farther Up the Road" was a Number Five R&B hit, Bland has had over 30 R&B Top 20 singles, including "I'll Take Care of You" (Number Two, 1959), "I Pity the Fool" (Number One, 1961), "Don't Cry No More" (Number One, 1961), "Turn on Your Love Light" (Number Two, 1961), and "That's the Way Love Is" (Number Three, 1963).

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