Bobby Bland R.I.P.

[kinuta]

The great Bobby Bland has died.

I suppose it's to be expected given his age but it doesn't diminish the loss.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/10852000

[GA Russell]

RIP. Very sorry to hear this. He was one of my favorites.

[Jim R]

There goes another giant. I wish I hadn't followed his career in a "backward" fashion, as sometimes happens. I heard his 70's recordings with B.B. King before I heard his 50's recordings, and because those later things didn't do a lot for me at that time, it delayed my appreciation for his earlier work. Once I realized what I'd been missing... wow.

RIP.

[John L]

Damn!

An inspirational musican and singer for me.

RIP

[Steve Gray]

This is so sad.

Loved his music since the 60s after buying some of the English issues of his Duke LPs on the Vocalian label.

Only saw him once, in London in 1984.

Edited June 25, 2013 by Steve Gray

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

RIP, Bobby. Decades of pleasure he's given me. Never heard of him before I bought 'Don't cry no more'; his latest single at the time. When I got it home, bloomin' 'eck, Tucker!

I saw him in the late 90s at a pub in Newport, east of Cardiff. Amazingly, he had a black band behind him. He was fantastic, even though he didn't have the voice he had years before. Jimmy Page and others from Led Zep and Van Morrison were in the audience, picking up tips (they all lived locally). Morrison horned his way onto the stage and asked if he could do a duet of 'Your friends'. Bland, polite, agreed, though he looked as if he didn't know what this guy was doing, coming up; anyway, Morrison, predictably, stank. Bland put up with it.

MG

[J.A.W.]

Sorry to hear this. Played his albums a lot years ago.

[Dan Gould]

Damn.

[robertoart]

RIP, Bobby. Decades of pleasure he's given me. Never heard of him before I bought 'Don't cry no more'; his latest single at the time. When I got it home, bloomin' 'eck, Tucker!

I saw him in the late 90s at a pub in Newport, east of Cardiff. Amazingly, he had a black band behind him. He was fantastic, even though he didn't have the voice he had years before. Jimmy Page and others from Led Zep and Van Morrison were in the audience, picking up tips (they all lived locally). Morrison horned his way onto the stage and asked if he could do a duet of 'Your friends'. Bland, polite, agreed, though he looked as if he didn't know what this guy was doing, coming up; anyway, Morrison, predictably, stank. Bland put up with it.

MG

Good old Van.

Now headlining at a 'Jazz Blues and Roots' festival close to you.

Edited June 24, 2013 by freelancer

[Mike Schwartz]

I had the good fortune to see him a number of times over the years....RIP

That iconic 'growl' of his and could sing as sweet as a bird too.

Very disappointed about a month ago, was looking forward to seeing him in concert, which was cancelled due to health reasons......now this.

Edited June 24, 2013 by Mike Schwartz

[paul secor]

A lot of singers are said to be soulful, but not many had a voice as soulful as Bobby "Blue" Bland. (Even though he seemed to have dropped the "Blue" from his name in later years, that's how I thought of him. It just seemed right.)

Thanks for everything you gave, Mr. Bland. You'll be missed but not forgotten.

[GA Russell]

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/25/arts/music/bobby-blue-bland-soul-and-blues-balladeer-dies-at-83.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

[GA Russell]

http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-bobby-blue-bland-20130625,0,1913221.story

[Noj]

I love his music. Got the two-CD anthology on MCA which is 40 excellent songs, but it sounds like there's still more to be heard. RIP

[Hardbopjazz]

RIP Bobby

[danasgoodstuff]

"Without a warning, you broke my heart" coulda been worse than Van horning in, coulda been Pig Pen! I only saw BBB once, after his voice had started to go, one of the great losses is that there's (apparently?) no live BBB from the '60s...

[Larry Kart]

The late Chicago writer J.B. Figi wrote a superb profile of Bland that ran in Down Beat in 1969. I remember editing it there as a newbie with my mouth hanging open.

[RiRiIII]

RIP. One of my top artists.- I first got to know his recordings in the mid 80s through this ACE LP; what a revelation it was:

Edited June 26, 2013 by Alexandros

[Enterprise Server]

Loved the mans music. He was one of my favorite blues singers. Saw him in person once and he sounded just like his records. A major loss to the art of blues.....

Edited June 27, 2013 by Enterprise Server

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/25/arts/music/bobby-blue-bland-soul-and-blues-balladeer-dies-at-83.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Prety nice article that one.

Liked this quote

“Whatever moments you get of happiness, use it up, you know, if you can, because it don’t come that often.”

MG

[sgcim]

KCR played a tribute to him, and I was bowled over by the sound of his voice.

He sounded like Sam Cooke singing b3rds and b7ths.

They played his early stuff where he sang the shit out of some standards ("Fever" among others).