Billy Bland
Billy Bland (born April 5, 1932 in Wilmington , North Carolina , † March 22, 2017 in New York City ) was an American rhythm and blues singer and songwriter with African American roots.
Life
Bland began his professional singing career in the late 1940s as a member of the New York vocal quartet The Four Bees. The group recorded two records on Imperial Records in 1954 : Toy Bell / Snatchin 'Back (# 5314) and I Want to Be Loved / Get Away Baby (# 5320). In 1955, Bland left the Bees and signed a recording contract as a solo singer with the New York record company Old Town . In early 1956 Old Town brought out the first single with Bland, but the two titles Chicken in the Basket / The Fat Man remained unsuccessful. The same happened to the following publications in the years up to 1959.
Then Old Town planned to record Let the Little Girl Dance with singer Titus Turner. The Bland present in the recording studio demonstrated his own version of the title to Turner, with the result that producer Henry Glover decided to give preference to the Bland version. In January 1960, the single came out with catalog number 1076, and on February 15, Let the Little Girl Dance debuted at number 99 on the Billboard Hot 100 . On May 16, the song had its best rating at number 7 and was in the Hot 100 for a total of 20 weeks. In addition, the song reached 11th place on the rhythm and blues charts.
Let the Little Girl Dance remained Bland's only top hit. Until 1961 he was able to place himself with three other titles on the Hot 100 places between ranks 90 and 94, after which he no longer appeared in the hit lists. With his last track on Billboard, My Heart's on Fire , he also had his only success as a songwriter. Further attempts in this profession in different styles were in vain. The single A Little Touch / Little Boy Blue (# 1151), released in May 1963, was Bland's last recording on Old Town. In the mid-1960s he recorded two more records for the St. Lawrence label. In the late 1980s he ran a restaurant in Harlem serving traditional African American cuisine.
Bland on the Billboard Hot 100
| year | title | rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | Let the Little Girl Dance | 7th |
| 1960 | You Were Born to Be Loved | 94. |
| 1960 | Harmony | 91. |
| 1961 | My Heart's on Fire | 90. |
Singles discography (Old Town)
| title | Cat.No. | published |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken in the Basket / The Fat Man | 1016 | 1956 |
| Oh, You for Me / Chicken Hop | 1022 | 1956 |
| If I Could Be Your Man / I Had a Dream | 1035 | 1957 |
| Grandma Gave a Party / Whats That | 1067 | 1959 |
| Let the Little Girl Dance / Sweet Thing | 1076 | 1/1960 |
| You Were Born to Loved / Pardon Me | 1082 | 5/1960 |
| Harmony / Make Believe Lover | 1088 | 9/1960 |
| Everything That Shines / Keep Talkin ' | 1093 | 11/1960 |
| I Cross My Heart / Steady Kind | 1098 | 2/1961 |
| My Heart's on Fire / Can't Stop Here | 1105 | 7/1961 |
| Do the Bug With Me / Uncle Bud | 1109 | 9/1961 |
| All I Want to Do / Busy Little Boy | 1114 | 2/1962 |
| Mama Stole the Chicken / I Spent My Love | 1124 | 4/1962 |
| Darlin 'Won't You Think of Me / How Many Hearts | 1128 | 7/1962 |
| Doing the Mule / Farmer in the Dell | 1143 | 3/1963 |
| A Little Touch / Little Boy Blue | 1151 | 5/1963 |
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://www.musicvf.com/Billy+Bland.art
- ↑ http://www.rocky-52.net/chanteursb/bland_billy.htm
- ↑ https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0000081968
literature
- Frank Laufenberg: Rock- und Poplexikon Vol. 1, Econ Taschenbuch Verlag, Düsseldorf 1998, p. 149, ISBN 3-612-26206-8
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Bland, Billy |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American rhythm and blues singer and songwriter |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 5, 1932 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Wilmington , North Carolina |
| DATE OF DEATH | 22nd March 2017 |
| Place of death | New York City |