RIP Bobby "Blue" Bland

"His vocals, punctuated by the occasional squalling shout, were restrained, exhibiting a crooner's delicacy of phrasing and a kind of intimate pleading. He influenced everyone from soul singers Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett to rock groups like the Allman Brothers, The Grateful Dead, and The Band. The rapper Jay-Z sampled Bland's single "Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City" on his album, "Blueprint" - The New York Times.

Bland was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992, and received a Grammy Award for lifetime achievement in 1997. You can read his life story in Soul of the Man: Bobby Blue Bland by Charles Farley.