Bobby Bland - The Best of Bobby Blue Bland 1957-1974

Robert Calvin Bland aka Bobby 'Blue' Bland (born January 27, 1930 - died June 23, 2013)

His hallmark was his supple, confidential soul-blues delivery. As a singer, Bland projected a grainy, down-to-earth quality, punctuated with guttural growls and snorts that would come to be known as the 'chicken-bone sound.' Yet his voice was simultaneously smooth as velvet, allowing Bland to bring audiences under his hypnotic spell as he walked a fine line between passionate expression and exquisite self-control.

BlandΓÇÖs painstakingly crafted records featured his deliberate, resolute vocals set over a backdrop of dazzling horn fanfares, supple rhythm parts and Wayne Bennett's T-Bone Walker-style guitar. The quality of the records was stunning, and Bland's vocals were the centerpiece. He projected warmth and intimacy, but he could also growl and howl. As a measure of his considerable appeal to black audiences, Bland placed an amazing 51 singles on the R&B Top 40.

Bobby Bland was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1981 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. In 1997, he received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. (rockhall.com)

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Bobby Bland - The Best of Bobby Blue Bland 1957-1974
(Universal-Island 2008)

1. Farther Up the Road
2. Ain't That Lovin' You
3. I'm Too Far Gone (To Turn Around)
4. Poverty
5. Yolanda
6. Stormy Monday Blues
7. I Wouldn't Treat a Dog (The Way You Treated Me)
8. I'll Take Care of You
9. Chains of Love
10. I Pity the Fool
11. Cry, Cry, Cry
12. Little Boy Blue
13. I'm Not Ashamed
14. Lead Me On
15. Don't Cry No More
16. Turn on Your Love Light
17. Who Will the Next Fool Be?
18. Yield Not to Temptation
19. Call on Me
20. That's the Way Love Is
21. Sometimes You Gotta Cry a Little
22. The Feeling Is Gone
23. Ain't Nothing You Can Do
24. Share Your Love with Me
25. Ain't Doin' Too Bad, Pt. 1
26. Blind Man
27. Black Night