Thank you

Probably my favorite Bobby Bland song is I’ll Take Care of You. I mean he’s the only reason why I can’t stay away from the Essence Fest. I can remember being young enough that my sister chose my clothing ensemble and mama dragging us to ILA concerts on school nights (after homework-no doubt). Maybe it was the soothing comforts of being nestled in my mama’s lap sleeping on a full stomach of trout, red beans and collard greens that made me susceptible but then into my dreams crooned Bobby Bland. His voice screeched like a slow choreographed train wreck. If I were old enough to lose my virginity, at the moment he says “If you let me…” (for the second time), I would’ve considered myself had. I swear I never fell asleep at another concert after that. First my obedience to the Blues, I’d like to testify. I didn’t know what the word (Blues) meant but if heartbreak was that soul-stirring, then I wanted my teaspoon of pain just so I could tell everybody I met “Honey you can’t swallow my blues till you dance in my shoes.” I can’t remember the exact age but I was attending Our Lady of Lourdes and at recess I could jump Double Dutch to Bobby Bland reverberating in my head and never miss a beat. Ain’t no poetry like the blues and ain’t no dude kooler on a stool than the incomparable Bobby Bland.