Billy Bland (April 5, 1932[1] – March 22, 2017)[2][3] was an American R&B singer and songwriter.
Bland, the youngest of 19 children, first sang professionally in 1947 in New York City, and sang with a group called The Bees in the 1950s on New Orleans's Imperial Records.
[4] In 1954, "Toy Bell" by the group caused some unrest by veering into the dirty blues genre.
In 1960, Bland heard Titus Turner recording the song "Let the Little Girl Dance" in the studio, and demonstrated for Turner how to sing it (along with guitarist Mickey Baker and other session musicians).
[4] The tune was a hit in the US, peaking at number 11 on the US Billboard R&B chart.