Rosemark near Millington in Shelby County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)
Bobby Blue Bland
(1930-2013)
Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, April 18, 2020
1. Bobby Blue Bland Marker
Robert Calvin Bland enjoyed a long and highly successful career as blues singer and songwriter "Bobby Blue Bland.” He spent his childhood in the community of Barretville. By age 11, he was singing for drivers of mule-drawn cotton wagons at the Barret Company gin (northeast of this site), thus earning as much as 50 cents for each rendition of country and western tunes. In less public settings, and away from his disapproving grandmother, he sang the blues, a musical genre not widely accepted at that time.
At age 17, Bland moved with his family to Memphis. He performed the blues on Beale Street and in juke joints before having his first hit single, "Farther on Up the Road,” on rhythm and blues charts. Bland received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The New York Times hailed him as "a debonair balladeer whose sophisticated, emotionally fraught performances helped modernize the blues."
Erected by Tennessee Historical Commission. (Marker Number 4E 174.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Arts, Letters, Music •
this page online
Location. 35° 22.364′ N, 89° 45.858′ W. Marker is near Millington, Tennessee, in Shelby County. It is in Rosemark. Marker is on Barret Road, 0.2 miles south of Mudville Road, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 8998 Barret Rd, Millington TN 38053, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Hurst's Raid at Barretville (within shouting distance of this marker); Paul W. Barret (within shouting distance of this marker); Richland Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church (approx. 0.8 miles away); Rosemark National Historic District (approx. 0.8 miles away); Dr. Peter John Flippin (approx. 0.8 miles away); Anthony Chapel School, Greenwood AME Church & Cemetery (approx. 1.6 miles away); Wade Bolton and Bolton College / Bolton School (approx. 3.3 miles away); Atoka Evangelical Presbyterian Church (approx. 4˝ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Millington.
Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, April 18, 2020
2. Bobby Blue Bland Marker
Reverse side
Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, April 18, 2020
3. Bobby Blue Bland Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 19, 2020, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 238 times since then and 25 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on April 19, 2020, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
