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.
That's The Way Love Is
Bobby "Blue" Bland Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
a thousand times you ask yourself why
the one guy you love has departed
and you're left alone and broken hearted.
Love just comes and it goes.
How long it's gonna last, say, nobody knows.
That's The Way Love Is, baby,
That's The Way Love Is, sugar,
(That's The Way Love Is, sure enough how it is.)
I know you're walkin' down a lonesome road
and your heart is carryin' a heavy load.
I know you feel like you ain't got a friend
and your whole world is cavin' in.
Now's the time to be strong,
you gotta forget him now that he's gone,
and remember.
That's The Way Love Is, baby,
(That's The Way Love Is, sure enough how it is.)
That's The Way Love Is, sugar,
(That's The Way Love Is, sure enough how it is.)
The road of love gets rough some times don't let it get the best of you.
Said I've been hurt by love so many times,
so I know just what you're goin' through.
You wish that you were never born, you gotta forget him now that he's gone,
just Remember.
That's The Way Love Is, baby,
(That's The Way Love Is, sure enough how it is.)
That's The Way Love Is, sugar,
(That's The Way Love Is, sure enough how it is.)
Love is here today and gone tomorrow,
(That's The Way Love Is, sure enough how it is.)
All of your joys turn to sorrow,
(That's The Way Love Is, sure enough how it is.)
One day gladness next day sadness,
(That's The Way Love Is, sure enough how it is.)
Love is here today and gone tomorrow,
(That's The Way Love Is, sure enough how it is.)
All of your joys turn to sorrow,
(That's The Way Love Is, sure enough how it is.)
One day gladness next day sadness,
(That's The Way Love Is, sure enough how it is.)
The lyrics of Bobby "Blue" Bland's song "That's The Way Love Is" speak to the universal experience of heartbreak and the ups and downs of love. The song begins with the lines, "As the bitter tears fall from your eyes, a thousand times you ask yourself why, the one guy you love has departed, and you're left alone and broken hearted." These lines capture the feeling of anguish and confusion that often accompanies the end of a relationship, as someone struggles to make sense of why their partner has left them.
The chorus of the song reinforces the idea that love can be unpredictable and fleeting: "That's the way love is, sure enough how it is." The repetition of this phrase emphasizes the message that no one can fully control how love unfolds or ensure that it will last forever. Instead, people must accept the uncertainty of love and be prepared to weather the storms that can come with it.
The second verse of the song offers some words of encouragement, suggesting that those who have been left behind by a former lover should focus on being strong and moving forward. "The road of love gets rough some times don't let it get the best of you," Bland sings. He also acknowledges that he has been through similar heartbreak before and can relate to the listener's pain.
Line by Line Meaning
As the bitter tears fall from your eyes
You're crying because the person you love left you.
a thousand times you ask yourself why
You keep trying to figure out why he left you.
the one guy you love has departed
You loved one person, and he's gone now.
and you're left alone and broken hearted.
You feel alone and sad because he left.
Love just comes and it goes.
Love isn't something that lasts forever.
How long it's gonna last, say, nobody knows.
You never know how long your love will last.
That's The Way Love Is, baby,
This is just how love works, girl.
(That's The Way Love Is, sure enough how it is.)
That's just the way of things, how it goes.
I know you're walkin' down a lonesome road
You're feeling lonely and sad.
and your heart is carryin' a heavy load.
Your heart feels heavy and burdened.
I know you feel like you ain't got a friend
You feel like you have no one to talk to or confide in.
and your whole world is cavin' in.
Everything feels like it's falling apart.
Now's the time to be strong,
You have to be strong now.
you gotta forget him now that he's gone,
You have to forget him and move on.
and remember.
But don't forget the lessons you learned from loving him.
The road of love gets rough some times
Love isn't always easy.
don't let it get the best of you.
Don't let it destroy you.
Said I've been hurt by love so many times,
The singer has also been hurt by love in the past.
so I know just what you're goin' through.
He understands what you're feeling because he's been there too.
You wish that you were never born,
You feel so sad that you wish you had never been born.
just Remember.
But don't forget that love is still worth it even though it hurts sometimes.
Love is here today and gone tomorrow,
Love can disappear quickly and unexpectedly.
All of your joys turn to sorrow,
Love can turn your happiness into sorrow.
One day gladness next day sadness,
You can go from feeling happy one day to feeling sad the next because of love.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DON ROBEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@sunnybluebland
I appreciate all the comnents about my dad and i will continue to honor his name, and sing the blues until my grave
@jaysolo89
❤❤❤❤❤❤
@jaysolo89
I absolutely love him❤❤
@caramelkisses6255
Your dad is/was one of my favorite blues singers! His voice was just amazing!! ♥️🕊️
@POPAWOLF
Truly an amazingly One of a kind Super talented Prince of a Man who is dearly missed 😢 Thank you Mr. Bobby Bluebland for all the memories and great music, Rest easy Sir.
@SurprisedFallingLeaves-ig3ok
❤
@lindabrown2090
Bobby Blue Bland has a very soothing voice. I like when he make that brawling sound. “ THATS THE WAY BOBBY IS”
@jodyvance4114
Absolutely the very Best!!! That silky voice and the growl, he will never be forgotten or duplicated!!! Thank you Lord for the time that you shared him with us!!! Thank you Lord for the musical gifts that he left for us!!! Rest In Peace Mr. Bobby “Blue” Bland , and God Bless your Family and loved ones.
@johnnyreed8537
The incomparable legendary Bobby Bland set the standard 👏 👏
@kerawebb706
that trademark sound gets me every time...you are not normal if you don't smile when you see him perform or his videos