Bobby "Blue" Bland the great blues and RnB singer died June 23rd, 2103 in Germantown, Tenn., a suburb of Memphis. He was 83. Originally from Rosemark, Tennessee, Bland moved to Memphis and was one of the original Beale Streeters.
A mixture of southern traditional music and big-band arrangements mixed with the emotional power of the blues gave him his pioneer status.
Bland was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 and received a Grammy Award for lifetime achievement in 1997.
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| Buddy, BB and Blue. Guy, King and Bland. Photographer unknown. |
First recorded in 1957 Bland's song Farther Up the Road was covered by Eric Clapton as well as the likes of Lonnie Mack, Roy Buchanan, Mike Bloomfield, Lucky Peterson among others. Here is Bobby "Blue" Bland's Farther Up the Road.
That's a great version of the song. But then the originals usually are. Clapton does a version of this on Old Sock, too. Not Clapton at his best unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteOh wait. That was Further on Down the Road. Confusing, I know. And it was an old Taj Mahal song.
DeleteBut Clapton did this song too.
DeleteYes, he did. Just not on his latest CD. Still it's fascinating how many rock and rollers covered off old blues tracks. The Stones, Led Zep and Clapton come readily to mind.
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