Bobby "Blue" Bland (Robert Calvin Brooks, January 27, 1930 – June 23, 2013)… Read Full Bio ↴Bobby "Blue" Bland (Robert Calvin Brooks, January 27, 1930 – June 23, 2013) was an American rhythm & blues singer. Bland's craft was most clearly heard on a series of early 1960s releases, including "Cry Cry Cry", "I Pity the Fool" (number 1 on the R&B chart in 1961) and "Turn On Your Love Light", all included on the 1961 album "Two Steps From The Blues".
Bobby Bland developed a sound that mixed gospel with the blues and R&B. Bland was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1981, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992, and the Memphis Music Hall of Fame in 2012. He 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".
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 born Robert Calvin Brooks in the small town of Barretville, Tennessee. His father, I.J. Brooks, 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. Robert dropped out of school in third grade to work in the cotton fields and never graduated from school.
With his mother, Bland moved to Memphis in 1947, where he started singing with local gospel groups, including the Miniatures. Eager to expand his interests, he began frequenting the city's famous Beale Street, where he became associated with an ad hoc circle of aspiring musicians including B.B. King, Rosco Gordon, Junior Parker and Johnny Ace, who collectively called themselves the Beale Streeters.
Between 1950 and 1952, Bland recorded commercially unsuccessful singles for Modern Records and, at Ike Turner's suggestion, for Sun Records (which licensed its recordings to Chess Records). He then signed a contract with Duke Records. Bland's recordings from the early 1950s show him striving for individuality, but his progress was halted for two years while he served in the U.S. Army, during which time he performed in a band with the singer Eddie Fisher.
When Bland returned to Memphis in 1954, several of his former associates, including Johnny Ace, were enjoying considerable success. He joined Ace's revue and returned to Duke Records, which was then being run by the Houston entrepreneur Don Robey. According to his biographer Charles Farley, "Robey handed Bobby a new contract, which Bobby could not read, and helped Bobby sign his name on it". The contract gave Bland just half a cent per record sold, instead of the industry standard of 2 cents.
Bland released his first single for Duke in 1955. In 1956 he began touring on the chitlin' circuit with Junior Parker in a revue called Blues Consolidated, initially doubling as Parker's valet and driver. He began recording for Duke with the bandleader Bill Harvey and the arranger Joe Scott, asserting his characteristic vocal style and, with Harvey and Scott, beginning to craft the melodic big-band blues singles for which he became famous, often accompanied by the guitarist Wayne Bennett. Unlike many blues musicians, Bland played no instrument.
Bland's first chart success came in 1957 with "Farther Up the Road", which reached number 1 on the R&B chart and number 43 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was followed by a series of hits on the R&B chart, including "Little Boy Blue" (1958). He also recorded an album with Parker, Blues Consolidated, in 1958. Bland's craft was most clearly heard on a series of early-1960s releases, including "Cry Cry Cry", "I Pity the Fool" (number 1 on the R&B chart in 1961) and "Turn On Your Love Light", which became a much-covered standard by the Grateful Dead and other bands. Despite credits to the contrary—often claimed by Robey—many of these classic works were written by Joe Scott. Bland also recorded a hit version of T-Bone Walker's "Call It Stormy Monday (But Tuesday Is Just as Bad)", which was erroneously given the title of a different song, "Stormy Monday Blues".
His last record to reach number 1 on the R&B chart was "That's the Way Love Is", in 1963, but he continued to produce a consistent run of R&B chart entries through the mid-1960s. He barely broke into the mainstream market; his highest-charting song on the pop chart, "Ain't Nothing You Can Do", peaked at number 20 in 1964, in the same week in which the Beatles held down the top five spots. Bland's records mostly sold on the R&B market rather than achieving crossover success. He had 23 Top Ten hits on the Billboard R&B chart. In the book Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–1995, by Joel Whitburn, Bland was ranked number 13 of the all-time top-charting artists.
Financial pressures forced the singer to cut his touring band and in 1968 the group broke up. He suffered from depression and became increasingly dependent on alcohol, but he stopped drinking in 1971. His record company, Duke Records, was sold to the larger ABC Records group. This resulted in several successful and critically acclaimed contemporary blues and soul albums including His California Album and Dreamer, arranged by Michael Omartian and produced by ABC staffer Steve Barri. The albums, including the later "follow-up" in 1977, Reflections in Blue, were recorded in Los Angeles and featured many of the city's top session musicians at the time.
The first single released from His California Album, "This Time I'm Gone for Good" took Bland back into the pop Top 50 for the first time since 1964 and made the R&B top 10 in late 1973. The opening track from Dreamer, "Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City", was a strong R&B hit. A version of it was released in 1978 by the hard-rock band Whitesnake, featuring the singer David Coverdale. Much later it was sampled by Kanye West on Jay-Z's hip-hop album The Blueprint (2001). The song is also featured on the soundtrack of the crime drama The Lincoln Lawyer (2011), starring Matthew McConaughey. The follow-up, "I Wouldn't Treat a Dog" was his biggest R&B hit for some years, climbing to number 3 in late 1974, but as usual his strength was never the pop chart (on which it reached number 88). Subsequent attempts at adding a disco flavor were mostly unsuccessful. A return to his roots in 1980 for a tribute album to his mentor Joe Scott, produced by music veterans Monk Higgins and Al Bell, resulted in the album Sweet Vibrations, but it failed to sell well outside of his traditional "chitlin circuit" base.
In 1985, Bland signed a contract with Malaco Records, specialists in traditional Southern black music, for which he made a series of albums while continuing to tour and appear at concerts with B. B. King. The two had collaborated on two albums in the 1970s. Despite occasional age-related ill health, Bland continued to record new albums for Malaco and perform occasional tours alone, with the guitarist and producer Angelo Earl and also with B. B. King, and performed at blues and soul festivals worldwide. In 1985, the album Members Only on Malaco reached number 45 on Billboard's R&B albums chart, and the title song reached number 54 for R&B singles. It was his last chart single, and became Bland's signature song for the rest of his career. Bland was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. 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".
The Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison was an early adherent of Bland, covering "Turn On Your Love Light" while with the band Them (he later covered "Ain't Nothing You Can't Do" on his 1974 live album It's Too Late to Stop Now), and Bland was an occasional guest singer at Morrison's concerts. He also included a previously unreleased version of a March 2000 duet of Morrison and Bland singing "Tupelo Honey" on his 2007 compilation album, The Best of Van Morrison Volume 3.
In 2008 the British singer and lead vocalist of Simply Red, Mick Hucknall, released the album Tribute to Bobby, containing songs associated with Bland. The album reached 18 in the UK Albums Chart.
Bland continued performing until shortly before his death.
He died on June 23, 2013, at his home in Germantown, Tennessee, a suburb of Memphis, after what family members described as "an ongoing illness". He was 83.
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."
After his death, his son Rodd told news media that Bland had recently told him that the blues musician James Cotton was Bland's half-brother.
Bobby Bland developed a sound that mixed gospel with the blues and R&B. Bland was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1981, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992, and the Memphis Music Hall of Fame in 2012. He 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".
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 born Robert Calvin Brooks in the small town of Barretville, Tennessee. His father, I.J. Brooks, 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. Robert dropped out of school in third grade to work in the cotton fields and never graduated from school.
With his mother, Bland moved to Memphis in 1947, where he started singing with local gospel groups, including the Miniatures. Eager to expand his interests, he began frequenting the city's famous Beale Street, where he became associated with an ad hoc circle of aspiring musicians including B.B. King, Rosco Gordon, Junior Parker and Johnny Ace, who collectively called themselves the Beale Streeters.
Between 1950 and 1952, Bland recorded commercially unsuccessful singles for Modern Records and, at Ike Turner's suggestion, for Sun Records (which licensed its recordings to Chess Records). He then signed a contract with Duke Records. Bland's recordings from the early 1950s show him striving for individuality, but his progress was halted for two years while he served in the U.S. Army, during which time he performed in a band with the singer Eddie Fisher.
When Bland returned to Memphis in 1954, several of his former associates, including Johnny Ace, were enjoying considerable success. He joined Ace's revue and returned to Duke Records, which was then being run by the Houston entrepreneur Don Robey. According to his biographer Charles Farley, "Robey handed Bobby a new contract, which Bobby could not read, and helped Bobby sign his name on it". The contract gave Bland just half a cent per record sold, instead of the industry standard of 2 cents.
Bland released his first single for Duke in 1955. In 1956 he began touring on the chitlin' circuit with Junior Parker in a revue called Blues Consolidated, initially doubling as Parker's valet and driver. He began recording for Duke with the bandleader Bill Harvey and the arranger Joe Scott, asserting his characteristic vocal style and, with Harvey and Scott, beginning to craft the melodic big-band blues singles for which he became famous, often accompanied by the guitarist Wayne Bennett. Unlike many blues musicians, Bland played no instrument.
Bland's first chart success came in 1957 with "Farther Up the Road", which reached number 1 on the R&B chart and number 43 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was followed by a series of hits on the R&B chart, including "Little Boy Blue" (1958). He also recorded an album with Parker, Blues Consolidated, in 1958. Bland's craft was most clearly heard on a series of early-1960s releases, including "Cry Cry Cry", "I Pity the Fool" (number 1 on the R&B chart in 1961) and "Turn On Your Love Light", which became a much-covered standard by the Grateful Dead and other bands. Despite credits to the contrary—often claimed by Robey—many of these classic works were written by Joe Scott. Bland also recorded a hit version of T-Bone Walker's "Call It Stormy Monday (But Tuesday Is Just as Bad)", which was erroneously given the title of a different song, "Stormy Monday Blues".
His last record to reach number 1 on the R&B chart was "That's the Way Love Is", in 1963, but he continued to produce a consistent run of R&B chart entries through the mid-1960s. He barely broke into the mainstream market; his highest-charting song on the pop chart, "Ain't Nothing You Can Do", peaked at number 20 in 1964, in the same week in which the Beatles held down the top five spots. Bland's records mostly sold on the R&B market rather than achieving crossover success. He had 23 Top Ten hits on the Billboard R&B chart. In the book Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–1995, by Joel Whitburn, Bland was ranked number 13 of the all-time top-charting artists.
Financial pressures forced the singer to cut his touring band and in 1968 the group broke up. He suffered from depression and became increasingly dependent on alcohol, but he stopped drinking in 1971. His record company, Duke Records, was sold to the larger ABC Records group. This resulted in several successful and critically acclaimed contemporary blues and soul albums including His California Album and Dreamer, arranged by Michael Omartian and produced by ABC staffer Steve Barri. The albums, including the later "follow-up" in 1977, Reflections in Blue, were recorded in Los Angeles and featured many of the city's top session musicians at the time.
The first single released from His California Album, "This Time I'm Gone for Good" took Bland back into the pop Top 50 for the first time since 1964 and made the R&B top 10 in late 1973. The opening track from Dreamer, "Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City", was a strong R&B hit. A version of it was released in 1978 by the hard-rock band Whitesnake, featuring the singer David Coverdale. Much later it was sampled by Kanye West on Jay-Z's hip-hop album The Blueprint (2001). The song is also featured on the soundtrack of the crime drama The Lincoln Lawyer (2011), starring Matthew McConaughey. The follow-up, "I Wouldn't Treat a Dog" was his biggest R&B hit for some years, climbing to number 3 in late 1974, but as usual his strength was never the pop chart (on which it reached number 88). Subsequent attempts at adding a disco flavor were mostly unsuccessful. A return to his roots in 1980 for a tribute album to his mentor Joe Scott, produced by music veterans Monk Higgins and Al Bell, resulted in the album Sweet Vibrations, but it failed to sell well outside of his traditional "chitlin circuit" base.
In 1985, Bland signed a contract with Malaco Records, specialists in traditional Southern black music, for which he made a series of albums while continuing to tour and appear at concerts with B. B. King. The two had collaborated on two albums in the 1970s. Despite occasional age-related ill health, Bland continued to record new albums for Malaco and perform occasional tours alone, with the guitarist and producer Angelo Earl and also with B. B. King, and performed at blues and soul festivals worldwide. In 1985, the album Members Only on Malaco reached number 45 on Billboard's R&B albums chart, and the title song reached number 54 for R&B singles. It was his last chart single, and became Bland's signature song for the rest of his career. Bland was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. 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".
The Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison was an early adherent of Bland, covering "Turn On Your Love Light" while with the band Them (he later covered "Ain't Nothing You Can't Do" on his 1974 live album It's Too Late to Stop Now), and Bland was an occasional guest singer at Morrison's concerts. He also included a previously unreleased version of a March 2000 duet of Morrison and Bland singing "Tupelo Honey" on his 2007 compilation album, The Best of Van Morrison Volume 3.
In 2008 the British singer and lead vocalist of Simply Red, Mick Hucknall, released the album Tribute to Bobby, containing songs associated with Bland. The album reached 18 in the UK Albums Chart.
Bland continued performing until shortly before his death.
He died on June 23, 2013, at his home in Germantown, Tennessee, a suburb of Memphis, after what family members described as "an ongoing illness". He was 83.
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."
After his death, his son Rodd told news media that Bland had recently told him that the blues musician James Cotton was Bland's half-brother.
I Pity The Fool
Bobby "Blue" Bland Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I pity the fool
I said, I pity the fool
Well, I pity the fool, yeah
I say, I pity the fool
That fall in love with you
And expect you be true
Oh, I pity the fool
Look at the people
I know you're wonderin' what they're doin'
They're just standin' there
Watchin' you make a fool of me
Look at the people
I know you're wonderin' what they're doin'
They're just standin' there
Watchin' you make a fool of me
Oh, I pity the fool
I pity the fool that falls in love with you
I pity the fool
I pity the fool that falls in love with you
She'll break your heart one day
And she'll laugh and walk away
Oh, I pity the fool
Look at the people
I know you're wonderin' what they're doin'
They're just standin' there
Watchin' you make a fool of me
Look at the people
I know you're wonderin' what they're doin'
Yes, Ihey're just standin' there
Watchin' you make a fool of me
I said, I pity the fool
Hmm, I pity the fool, I pity the fool
I said, I pity the fool, baby
I said, I pity the fool
Well, I pity the fool, yeah
I say, I pity the fool
That fall in love with you
And expect you be true
Oh, I pity the fool
I know you're wonderin' what they're doin'
They're just standin' there
Watchin' you make a fool of me
Look at the people
I know you're wonderin' what they're doin'
They're just standin' there
Watchin' you make a fool of me
Oh, I pity the fool
I pity the fool that falls in love with you
I pity the fool
I pity the fool that falls in love with you
She'll break your heart one day
And she'll laugh and walk away
Oh, I pity the fool
Look at the people
I know you're wonderin' what they're doin'
They're just standin' there
Watchin' you make a fool of me
Look at the people
I know you're wonderin' what they're doin'
Yes, Ihey're just standin' there
Watchin' you make a fool of me
I said, I pity the fool
Hmm, I pity the fool, I pity the fool
I said, I pity the fool, baby
The song "I Pity The Fool" by Bobby "Blue" Bland is a classic R&B song with heart-wrenching lyrics. The song is about a man who is warning others about falling in love with a woman who is not loyal and will break their heart. The opening lines "I pity the fool" are repeated throughout the song, emphasizing the singer's concern for those who may be taken in by the woman's charms. The song speaks to the pain of unrequited love and the heartbreak that comes with it.
The use of repetition emphasizes the singer's frustration and sadness at the situation. The lines "Look at the people, I know you're wonderin' what they're doin', they're just standin' there, Watchin' you make a fool of me" conveys the humiliation and shame the singer is experiencing. The chorus, "I pity the fool that falls in love with you, she'll break your heart one day, and she'll laugh and walk away" communicates the idea that the woman is not to be trusted and will ultimately cause pain.
Interestingly, the song was written by Don Robey who owned the record label that Bobby "Blue" Bland was signed to at the time. Despite the fact that the song was a hit for Bland, he did not particularly care for it and did not feel that it fit his style. Nevertheless, the song became one of his most popular and enduring hits. Additionally, the song has been covered by numerous artists over the years, including The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, and The Mavericks.
Line by Line Meaning
I pity the fool
I feel sorry for the person
I said, I pity the fool
I emphatically express my sympathy for the person
Well, I pity the fool, yeah
Indeed, I feel sorry for the person
I say, I pity the fool
I reiterate my sympathy for the person
That fall in love with you
Whoever loves you
And expect you be true
And believes you will be faithful
Oh, I pity the fool
Oh, I feel sorry for this person
Look at the people
Observe the bystanders
I know you're wonderin' what they're doin'
I'm aware that you're curious about their actions
They're just standin' there
They're simply watching
Watchin' you make a fool of me
Observing you embarrass and deceive me
I pity the fool that falls in love with you
I feel sorry for anyone who loves you
She'll break your heart one day
You'll experience heartbreak because of her eventually
And she'll laugh and walk away
She'll then mock you and leave you
I pity the fool
Again, I feel sorry for the person
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DON ROBEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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@faithfields9421
I pity the fool
I said, I pity the fool
Well, I pity the fool, yeah
I say, I pity the fool
That fall in love with you
And expect you be true
Oh, I pity the fool
Look at the people
I know you're wonderin' what they're doin'
They're just standin' there
Watchin' you make a fool of me
Look at the people
I know you're wonderin' what they're doin'
They're just standin' there
Watchin' you make a fool of me
Oh, I pity the fool
I pity the fool that falls in love with you
I pity the fool
I pity the fool that falls in love with you
She'll break your heart one day
And she'll laugh and walk away
Oh, I pity the fool
Look at the people
I know…
@uniquefeathers
Cant tell me black people arent magic.The soul the grit the heartiness of the wales from his voice the sound all of his flavor on this track is only a gift that God gives..Best of the best of the best right here..Bobby Bland we love ya and we misses ya!!!...
@dang2443
Rush Limbaugh used to call Obama the "Magic Negro". So you have that in common
@dianacrow7509
Tears & cuts into the heart ❤
Realism in presence of what narcissistic A-holes can do to a pure soul...
Bland, was anything But... Bland!
My Mom listened to him, she turned me onto many R&B souls. Much love, U All!
@claudinetillman6459
D C Top of the evening 🌆 To you Right back at ya 🆗 WORD UP 👍 I feel what you felt about this song by BB🆗 I agree with you A million percent 🆗👏 Those were the good old days 😁 As a Recycle teenager 😁 I know what BB is singing about 😅 we use to call him BB back in the day 😁 we called him The Man 👞 with a plan 😁 🌅 U have a good ear 👂 for knowing what true hard core Blues 💙🔵 is all about.👏U are very kind and a very special person ⭐ I really appreciate people like you who listens and ❤️ the 🔵 as I do 🤝 Thanks for letting me share my thoughts 💬💭 with you.🤝 Have a bless night 🌃 or day 🌅 JAH LIVES ONE 🕐 LOVE ❤️ GOD bless everyone who's watching this video 📷📸 STAY SAFE everyone 🙏🤝
@MsJuice1000
50 brought me here 🤷🏽♀️
@tattoogirl2860
Me, too. Just finished watching Raising Kanan
@jenniferharrt8983
I loved me some Bobby Blue Bland. He was in a class by himself. There were others before him and after him, but none could do it his way. He was smooth as silk. I hope no one would embarressed themselves trying to imitate him. It's just not going to happen for you.
@lgreen9932
My late Grandfather turned me into a fan of this genius of Mr. Bobby Blue Bland when I was younger. Haven’t stopped listening to his music since! ❤❤❤
@brendabradley4955
Kanan brought this song back from this week's episode
@RoddyViper
This was my dads favorite song everytime him and my mom went through something he would ride around playing this now i get it as an adult and do the same lmao