On yesterday we lost another one of our soul and blues legends, Bobby "Blue" Bland (January 27, 1930 – June 23, 2013), also known as the "Lion of the Blues" and "Sinatra of the Blues", after battling a lengthy illness. It's reported that he was surrounded by family and friends when he passed away at his home. Bland was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1981, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992, and received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997.
Bland had a string of consistent hits throughout the 1960's, having charted 23 Top Ten hits on the Billboard R&B Charts. One of my top favorites from him that was a strong R&B hit in the 1970's was "Aint' No Love (In The Heart of the City)", from the album The Dreamer (1974). Other hits on the "chitlin' circuit" were "I Pity The Fool", "Let The Good Times Roll", with B.B. King, "St. James Infirmary", "Members Only" and other "juke joint" favorites.
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