Antone’s
Friday, January 31
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swing-style horns are as important to the sound as guitars and harmonicas —
stands today as one of the paradigms of popular music. It’s the original New
Jack Swing.
And after over 40 years of playing it, Bland is finally getting some
high-profile recognition. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
in 1992 — as a man without whose contributions rock & roll would never
have existed — and will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s
Grammys. Bland enjoys these accolades, especially since many of his peers
didn’t receive any rewards until well after their deaths.
“Sometimes it [takes] a lifetime,” he says. “Some don’t get them until after
they die. I’m just proud that I’m still here and living while they’re offering
me all these different things.
“Any time you get those kind of achievements, those kind of awards, they all
mean something. That lets you know that you have paid your dues for whatever
you put into the music world — that you’ve been rewarded for the work you’ve
done. It’s always gratifying.”
Bland began paying his dues with Houston’s Duke Records in 1955, sharing a
label with Junior Parker, Miss Lavelle White, the late great Johnny Ace, and
many others. He drew on Duke’s top-notch stable of writers and musicians
(especially his longtime arranger and bandleader Joe Scott) to put some urban
polish on the sound of his native Delta.
“You have to have the voice that people will accept,” he says. “That’s how
those things start: when the audience wants to hear more of you, and they want
to see more of you, and they accept whatever you do if it’s good.”
Owner of a few hit records and a popular touring attraction all over the
world, Bland is quick to credit those who influenced him as a young man, and
his buttery croon evokes his encounter with Nat King Cole to this day. “That
was very exciting to me because he was somebody that I admired, and I loved his
records and I loved his diction,” says Bland. “I profited a lot from that. I
was very proud to meet him.” — Christopher Gray
This article appears in January 31 • 1997 and January 31 • 1997 (Cover).