Primarily from the pen of Deadric Malone, along with fellow Duke head Scott (among others), these are the tunes that form the core of Bobby "Blue" Bland's legend and the foundation of soul-blues: "Two Steps from the Blues," "I Don't Want No Woman," "Cry, Cry, Cry," "I'm Not Ashamed," "Lead Me On," "Little Boy Blue" - songs so good they overshadow standards like "St. It helped, of course, that the songs were uniformly brilliant. Given his Memphis background, Bobby "Blue" Bland was perfectly suited for this kind of amalgam as envisioned by producer/arranger Joe Scott, who crafted these wailing horn arrangements that sounded as impassioned as Bland's full-throated, anguished vocals. In fact, it's one of the key albums in modern blues, marking a turning point when juke joint blues were seamlessly blended with gospel and Southern soul, creating a distinctly Southern sound where all of these styles blended so thoroughly it was impossible to tell where one began and one ended. His songs were covered by the Allman Brothers, the Grateful Dead and many others, and drummer Jab'o Starks recalls recording classic tracks like Stormy Monday, with which Bobby achieved great chart success.Ĭontributors include Van Morrison, Quincy Jones, BB King, Mick Hucknall, Dan Penn and Grammy nominee Susan Tedeschi.Without a doubt, Two Steps from the Blues is the definitive Bobby "Blue" Bland album and one of the great records in electric blues and soul-blues. The film traces Bobby's musical path from its gospel roots, through jazz and into the blues, which he infused with a unique sophistication, becoming a major singing star in black America in the 50s and 60s. Bland offered his services as a driver, but soon secured a spot singing with King's band, while the young Elvis hung around Beale Street taking it all in. At that time, Memphis was a musical melting pot and BB King reports that 'everyone who was anyone' turned up there sooner or later. A year later, Gladys Presley and her son made a similar journey from neighbouring Tupelo. In 1947, Bland's mother brought her son from the country town of Rosemark to Memphis in search of a better life. Documentary telling the story of the life and music of Bobby 'Blue' Bland, one of America's classic vocalists, listed high in Rolling Stone magazine's Top 100 greatest voices and admired by Elvis Presley, Van Morrison and Mick Hucknall among others.
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February 2023
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