Bobby "Blue" Bland

Robert Calvin Bland, known as Bobby 'Blue' Bland, was one of the most influential vocalists in the history of blues and soul, a Memphis-born singer whose sophisticated, gospel-inflected style set the standard for soul-blues singing. He was a member of the Beale Streeters alongside B.B. King, Johnny Ace, and Rosco Gordon before signing with Duke Records, where he recorded a string of classics ('Turn on Your Love Light,' 'Further Up the Road,' 'I Pity the Fool,' 'Stormy Monday Blues') that defined the soul-blues genre. His technique of breaking from smooth crooning into a raw, gospel-tinged 'squall' was widely imitated. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.