Biography of Bobby "Blue" Bland

Bland's early years around Memphis were closely associated with Junior Parker, Johnny Ace, and B.B. King. His earliest recordings (Chess, Modern) are very rough, but beginning in the mid-'50s on Duke Records, he became a distinctive blues/R&B voice. The Duke period produced a continuous stream of hit R&B singles. His work mellowed and became more album-oriented in the '70s. Two joint meetings with B.B. King are highlights of those ABC/MCA years. His work for Malaco (mid-'80s to date) is formula blues and soul but quite satisfying in general.His Duke period is best represented by imports on the Ace label. The Blues Years (1952-1959) is a 25-song collection, while The Voice (1959-1969) contains 26 tunes. Touch of the Blues and Spotlighting the Man (a Mobile Fidelity collection of two complete Duke albums) are a little easier to find. The best of the Malaco discs would be First Class Blues, which has Bland's biggest single of the '80s, "Members Only." ~ Bob Porter