Photo: Smillie/Camera Press/Retna

Born January 27th, 1930 Key Tracks "I Pity the Fool," "Farther Up the Road," "Cry, Cry, Cry" "Turn On Your Love Light" Influenced Van Morrison, B.B. King

Bland called it a "squall" — the choked, gospel-inspired near-scream that became his trademark. "I got the idea from Rev. C.L. Franklin, Aretha's father," Bland told Rolling Stone. "I had to work with that a long time before I got it to perfection." But Bland, whose admirers range from Van Morrison to Jay-Z, was more than a blues shouter — on the quieter moments of signature tunes such as "I Pity the Fool" and "Turn On Your Love Light," he could just as easily adopt a smooth, uptown croon, complete with elegant vibrato, like his early hero Nat "King" Cole. "If I could sing like Bobby Bland," said his longtime collaborator B.B. King, "I'd be a happy man." Adds Gregg Allman, "It's a one-of-a-kind voice — I wonder how many people tore up their throats trying to imitate that shout."

1. I Pity the Fool
2. Farther Up the Road
3. Cry, Cry, Cry
4. Turn On Your Love Light
5. Stormy Monday Blues
6. That's the Way Love Is
7. I Hate You
8. Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City
9. I Wouldn't Treat a Dog (The Way You Treated Me)
10. Funny How Time Slips Away

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