Some of my favorite male singers of all-time are Al Green, Sam Cooke, Prince, and Aaron Neville.
That's right...Aaron Neville.
I was first introduced to Mr. Neville in the mid 60s or 70s via a song called "Tell It Like It Is."
I always loved his voice and in later years I discovered that he was a native of New Orleans and that he sang with his siblings, The Neville Brothers.
When I first heard the song ,"Don't Take Away My Heaven", I was in awe.
I bought ""The Very Best Of Aaron Neville" poured a scotch and soda, and just sit back to enjoy that voice. The hits were back to back to back...The afore-mentioned two songs, Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come", George Jones (!) "The Grand Tour", 'I Don't Know Much" (with Linda Ronstadt)...
Heaven.
You can purchase this CD on good 'ol amazon.com.
Blues singer Bobby 'Blue' Bland dies
AP Photo: The Commercial Appeal, Nikki Boertman. Bobby 'Blue' Bland is honored with a standing ovation as he is named as an inductee to the Memphis Music Hall of Fame during a ceremony Oct. 16, 2012, in Memphis, Tenn.
By Adrian Sainz of Associated PressRodd 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.
Bland was known as the "the Sinatra of the blues" and heavily influenced by Nat King Cole, often recording with lavish arrangements to accompany his smooth vocals. He even openly imitated Frank Sinatra on the "Two Steps From the Blues" album cover, standing in front of a building with a coat thrown over his shoulder.
"He brought a certain level of class to the blues genre," said Lawrence "Boo" Mitchell, son of legendary musician and producer Willie Mitchell.
Bland was a contemporary of B.B. King's, serving as the blues great's valet and chauffer at one point, and was one of the last of the living connections to the roots of the genre. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.
Born in Rosemark, Tenn., he moved to nearby Memphis as a teenager and, as the hall of fame noted, was "second in stature only to B.B. King as a product of Memphis' Beale Street blues scene."
After a stint in the Army, he recorded with Sam Phillips at Sun Records in the early 1950s with little to show for it. It wasn't until later that decade Bland began to find success.
He scored his first No. 1 on the R&B charts with "Further On Up the Road" in 1957. Then, beginning with "I'll Take Care of You" in early 1960, Bland released a dozen R&B hits in a row. That string included "Turn On Your Love Light" in 1961.
His "I Pity the Fool" in 1961 was recorded by many rock bands, including David Bowie and Eric Clapton, who has made "Further On Up the Road" part of his repertoire.
"He's always been the type of guy that if he could help you in any way, form or fashion, he would," Rodd Bland said.