Sad news out of Memphis as legendary blues singer Bobby “Blue” Bland passed away Sunday evening. Rodd Bland said his father died about 5:30 p.m. Sunday due to complications from an ongoing illness at his Memphis, Tenn., home surrounded by relatives.
A longtime Memphis resident, Bland was still recording for Malaco Records and performing live. “He was respected by so many people in the rock world and in the jazz world. He’s the Frank Sinatra of the blues. He’s respected for his voice and his phrasing. It’s going to be a huge loss to blues music,” according to Jay Sieleman with the Blues Foundation. Bland was inducted into the Blues Foundation’s Hall of Fame in 1981, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997.