The Anthology (CD)

Bobby "Blue" Bland is regarded as one of the greatest singers in the blues world. Growing up in Memphis, he was influenced by gospel and country as well as blues, and his style has always shown a broader scope than that of most bluesmen. Early on he worked as a valet/driver for B.B. King, but eventually the two men would work together as peers. Bland began recording in the early '50s, but it was his '60s recordings, including the classics "I Pity the Fool" and "Turn on Your Lovelight" that would make him immortal. Among blues musicians his influence is seminal, and in the rock world, everyone from Eric Clapton to the Grateful Dead has reverently covered Bland's material.

• Category:  Music  »  Blues  »  Texas/W. Coast Blues
• Format: CD   Learn more about the CD format using Tower WIKI.
• Release Date: June 5, 2001
• Label: MCA Records (USA)
• UPC: 008811259624
• WAPI (Tower ID): 106610935
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Personnel includes: Bobby "Blue" Bland (vocals); B.B. King (vocals, guitar); Roy Gaines, Clarence Holliman, Auburn "Pat" Hare, Wayne Bennett, Gerald Sims, Freddy Robinson, Spence Bean, Ray Parker, Jr. (guitar); Johnny Board, Bobby Forte, Jimmy Beck, Bill Harvey, Rayfield Davers, Melvin Jackson, Theodore Arthur, Jerome Richardson, Red Holloway (saxophone); Joe Scott, Melvin Jackson, Henry Boozier, Joseph Harden, Tommy Ferguson, Snooky Young (trumpet); Pluma Davis, Al Thomas (trombone); Connie Mack Booker, Skippy Brooks, Teddy Reynolds (piano); Hamp Simmons, Phil Upchurch, Charles Green (bass); Sonny Freeman, John "Jabo" Starks, Harrell Porter, Charles Polk (drums); Anita Kerr Singers (background vocals).

Recorded between 1952 & 1977. Includes liner notes by Bill Dahl.

All tracks have been digitally remastered.

There are a number of excellent Bobby "Blue" Bland collections on the market, but MCA's ANTHOLOGY may outdistance them all. A beautifully compiled and packaged set, ANTHOLOGY covers three decades of the singer's career. Bland's work from the 1980s and after is not represented here, but that's a small matter, since many of his finest recordings (cut on a variety of labels, many of them small independents) date from the '60s and early '70s. It was this material--a sophisticated combination of gutbucket Texas blues and emotive R&B crooning--that came to define the soul sound of the chitlin' circuit

Those familiar with Bland's work will recognize all of the singer's R&B chart classics (from "I Pity the Fool" to "Turn on Your Lovelight" to "Who Will The Next Fool Be?"), as well as important album cuts, while an unreleased live tune shows just how much Bland stretches out in concert. Detailed liner notes give plenty of background on both the recording sessions and Bland himself, but best of all is the remastered sound, which sparkles, and brings Bland's rich voice and uniquely moving delivery into crisp definition. As either an introduction to the legendary vocalist, or as a comprehensive recap for long-time fans, it is impossible to go wrong with ANTHOLOGY.

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