Bobby Bland

Robert Calvin "Bobby" Bland (January 27, 1930 – June 23, 2013), né Brooks, also known professionally as Bobby "Blue" Bland, was an American blues singer.

Bland developed a sound that mixed gospel with the blues and R&B. He was described as "among the great storytellers of blues and soul music... [who] created tempestuous arias of love, betrayal and resignation, set against roiling, dramatic orchestrations, and left the listener drained but awed." He was sometimes referred to as the "Lion of the Blues" and as the "Sinatra of the Blues"; his music was also influenced by Nat King Cole.

Bland was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1981, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992, the Memphis Music Hall of Fame in 2012, and received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame described him as "second in stature only to B.B. King as a product of Memphis's Beale Street blues scene".

Biography

Early life

Bland was born Robert Calvin Brooks in the small town of Barretville, Tennessee. His father was I. J. Brooks, who abandoned the family not long after Robert's birth. Robert later acquired the name "Bland" from his stepfather, Leroy Bridgeforth, who was also called Leroy Bland. Bobby Bland never went to school, and remained illiterate throughout his life.

Straight from the Shoulder

Straight from the Shoulder is a late night public affairs program of MBC-11 (from 1970 to 1972) and GMA Network (from 1987 to 1994) produced by the Manila Broadcasting Company. It was hosted by Louie Beltran until his death. A radio edition also aired on DZRH.

See also

Straight from the Shoulder (film)

Straight from the Shoulder is a 1936 American drama film directed by Stuart Heisler and written by Lucian Cary and Madeleine Ruthven. The film stars Ralph Bellamy, Katherine Locke, David Holt, Andy Clyde, Purnell Pratt and Onslow Stevens. The film was released on Aufust 28, 1936, by Paramount Pictures.

Cast

References

External links