Tag: Tupelo Honey

Bobby “Blue” Bland Was All Right With Me

Bobby Bland Bobby “Blue” Bland, one of the great blues and soul singers, has passed away at his Memphis, Tennessee home the age of 83. A member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Blues Hall of Fame, Bland has thrilled audiences and influenced other performers since he began recording in the early 1950s.

Bland started out as a valet and chauffeur for B.B. King, but later ended up performing with him on a number of occasions. In this clip from Soul Train, you can see the two legends performing after a brief interview.

In 1957, “Further On Up the Road” was Bland’s first number on on the R&B charts. One of my favorite Bland recordings, though, is “Turn on Your Love Life,” which was a hit in 1961.

Finally, for something a little different, here is Bland singing Van Morrison’s “Tupelo Honey” with Morrison. Van Morrison was a long-time fan, and it is great to hear those two changing verses on the great song that was recorded in 2000 (and appears on The Best of Van Morrison Volume 3 (2007). RIP.

What is your favorite Bobby “Blue” Bland song? Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • B.B. King: “Why I Sing the Blues”
  • RIP Richie Havens
  • Bringing in a Brand New Year
  • Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)
  • Wonderful Redwood Tree
  • “It’s All In the Game”: The Hit Song Co-Written By a Vice President

    • (Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

    RIP Richie Havens

    Richie Havens I just heard on the radio station WFUV that Richie Havens passed away today of a heart attack at the age of 72. Chimesfreedom previously wrote about Havens’s landmark opening performance at Woodstock when he sang “Freedom (Motherless Child).” Below is a 1971 performance of “Here Comes the Sun.”

    Last year, Havens had announced that he was stopping touring because of health concerns. At the moment, there is not much information about his passing on the Internet, but The Roots Agency, his agent, has a statement on their webpage, where they note, “Havens used his music to convey passionate messages of brotherhood and personal freedom.” He also was one of the great interpreters of great songs. For example, in addition to his Beatles interpretation above, below he covers two other great songwriters singing Van Morrison’s “Tupelo Honey” and Bob Dylan’s “Just Like a Woman.”

    Nobody will ever have a voice like Richie Havens. RIP.

    What is your favorite Richie Havens song? Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • Jeff Buckley’s Interactive Video for “Just Like a Woman”
  • Ruben “Hurricane” Carter “in a Land Where Justice Is a Game”
  • Bobby “Blue” Bland Was All Right With Me
  • Tony Sheridan and the Beatles
  • Got My Mind Set on George Harrison
  • One Degree of Separation Between Bob Dylan & Twilight Zone: Bonnie Beecher & “Come Wander With Me”

    • (Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)