Little Milton
Encyclopedia
James Milton Campbell, Jr. (September 7, 1934 – August 4, 2005), better known as Little Milton, was an American electric blues
, rhythm and blues
, and soul
singer and guitarist
, best known for his hit record
s "Grits Ain't Groceries" and "We're Gonna Make It."
town of Inverness
and raised in Greenville
by a farmer and local blues musician. By age twelve he had learned the guitar and was a street musician, chiefly influenced by T-Bone Walker
and his blues and rock and roll
contemporaries. In 1952, while still a teenager playing in local bars, he caught the attention of Ike Turner
, who was at that time a talent scout for Sam Phillips
' Sun Records
. He signed a contract with the label and recorded a number of singles. None of them broke through onto radio or sold well at record stores, however, and Milton left the Sun label by 1955.
After trying several labels without notable success, including Trumpet Records
, Milton set up the St. Louis based Bobbin Records label, which ultimately scored a distribution deal with Leonard Chess
' Chess Records
. As a record producer, Milton helped bring artists such as Albert King
and Fontella Bass
to fame, while experiencing his own success for the first time. After a number of small format and regional hits, his 1962 single, "So Mean to Me," broke onto the Billboard
R&B
chart
, eventually peaking at #14.
Following a short break to tour, managing other acts, and spending time recording new material, he returned to music in 1965 with a more polished sound, similar to that of B.B. King. After the ill-received "Blind Man" (R&B: #86), he released back-to-back hit singles. The first, "We're Gonna Make It," a blues-infused soul song, topped the R&B chart and broke through onto Top 40 radio, a format then dominated largely by white artists. He followed the song with #4 R&B hit "Who's Cheating Who?" All three songs were featured on his album, We're Gonna Make It, released that summer.
Throughout the late 1960s Milton released a number of moderately successful singles, but did not issue a further album until 1969, with Grits Ain't Groceries featuring his hit of the same name, as well as "Just a Little Bit
" and "Baby, I Love You". With the death of Leonard Chess
the same year, Milton's distributor, Checker Records
fell into disarray, and Milton joined the Stax
label two years later. Adding complex orchestration to his works, Milton scored hits with "That's What Love Will Make You Do" and "What It Is" from his live album, What It Is: Live at Montreux. He appeared in the documentary film
, Wattstax
, which was released in 1973. Stax, however, had been losing money since late in the previous decade and was forced into bankruptcy in 1975.
After leaving Stax, Milton struggled to maintain a career, moving first to Evidence, then the MCA
imprint Mobile Fidelity Records, before finding a home at the independent record label, Malaco Records
, where he remained for much of the remainder of his career. His last hit single, "Age Ain't Nothin' But a Number," was released in 1983 from the album of the same name. In 1988, Little Milton was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame
and won a W.C. Handy Award. His most final album, Think of Me, was released in May 2005 on the Telarc imprint, and included writing and guitar on three songs by Peter Shoulder of the UK-based blues-rock
trio Winterville.
The name 'Little Milton' was reused for Gerald Bostock
, the fictional boy poet central to Jethro Tull
's 1972 record Thick as a Brick
.
Milton died on August 4, 2005 from complications following a stroke
.
Electric blues
Electric blues is a type of blues music distinguished by the amplification of the guitar, bass guitar, drums, and often the harmonica. Pioneered in the 1930s, it emerged as a genre in Chicago in the 1940s. It was taken up in many areas of America leading to the development of regional subgenres...
, rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
, and soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
singer and guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
, best known for his hit record
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
s "Grits Ain't Groceries" and "We're Gonna Make It."
Biography
Milton was born James Milton Campbell, Jr., in the Mississippi DeltaMississippi Delta
The Mississippi Delta is the distinctive northwest section of the U.S. state of Mississippi that lies between the Mississippi and Yazoo Rivers. The region has been called "The Most Southern Place on Earth" because of its unique racial, cultural, and economic history...
town of Inverness
Inverness, Mississippi
Inverness is a town in Sunflower County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 1,153 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Inverness is located at ....
and raised in Greenville
Greenville, Mississippi
Greenville is a city in Washington County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 48,633 at the 2000 census, but according to the 2009 census bureau estimates, it has since declined to 42,764, making it the eighth-largest city in the state. It is the county seat of Washington...
by a farmer and local blues musician. By age twelve he had learned the guitar and was a street musician, chiefly influenced by T-Bone Walker
T-Bone Walker
Aaron Thibeaux "T-Bone" Walker was a critically acclaimed American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, who was one of the most influential pioneers and innovators of the jump blues and electric blues sound. He is the first musician recorded playing blues with the...
and his blues and rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
contemporaries. In 1952, while still a teenager playing in local bars, he caught the attention of Ike Turner
Ike Turner
Isaac Wister Turner was an American musician, bandleader, songwriter, arranger, talent scout, and record producer. In a career that lasted more than half a century, his repertoire included blues, soul, rock, and funk...
, who was at that time a talent scout for Sam Phillips
Sam Phillips
Samuel Cornelius Phillips , better known as Sam Phillips, was an American businessman, record executive, record producer and DJ who played an important role in the emergence of rock and roll as the major form of popular music in the 1950s...
' Sun Records
Sun Records
Sun Records is a record label founded in Memphis, Tennessee, starting operations on March 27, 1952.Founded by Sam Phillips, Sun Records was known for giving notable musicians such as Elvis Presley , Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, and Johnny Cash...
. He signed a contract with the label and recorded a number of singles. None of them broke through onto radio or sold well at record stores, however, and Milton left the Sun label by 1955.
After trying several labels without notable success, including Trumpet Records
Trumpet Records
Trumpet Records was a recording company started by Henry and Lillian McMurry in Jackson, Mississippi in 1951.-History of Trumpet Records:The goal of Trumpet Records was to provide a means of recording some of the most popular combos in the Mississippi Delta region that were going unrecorded because...
, Milton set up the St. Louis based Bobbin Records label, which ultimately scored a distribution deal with Leonard Chess
Leonard Chess
Leonard Chess was a record company executive and the founder of Chess Records. He was influential in the development of electric blues.- Early life :...
' Chess Records
Chess Records
Chess Records was an American record label based in Chicago, Illinois. It specialized in blues, R&B, soul, gospel music, early rock and roll, and occasional jazz releases....
. As a record producer, Milton helped bring artists such as Albert King
Albert King
Albert King was an American blues guitarist and singer, and a major influence in the world of blues guitar playing.-Career:...
and Fontella Bass
Fontella Bass
Fontella Bass is an American soul singer, who is best known for the 1965 R&B hit "Rescue Me", which she also co-wrote.-Early life:...
to fame, while experiencing his own success for the first time. After a number of small format and regional hits, his 1962 single, "So Mean to Me," broke onto the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
R&B
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
, eventually peaking at #14.
Following a short break to tour, managing other acts, and spending time recording new material, he returned to music in 1965 with a more polished sound, similar to that of B.B. King. After the ill-received "Blind Man" (R&B: #86), he released back-to-back hit singles. The first, "We're Gonna Make It," a blues-infused soul song, topped the R&B chart and broke through onto Top 40 radio, a format then dominated largely by white artists. He followed the song with #4 R&B hit "Who's Cheating Who?" All three songs were featured on his album, We're Gonna Make It, released that summer.
Throughout the late 1960s Milton released a number of moderately successful singles, but did not issue a further album until 1969, with Grits Ain't Groceries featuring his hit of the same name, as well as "Just a Little Bit
Just a Little Bit (Rosco Gordon song)
"Just a Little Bit" is an R&B-style blues song recorded by Rosco Gordon in 1959. It was a hit in both the R&B and pop charts. Called "one of the standards of contemporary blues", "Just a Little Bit" has been recorded by a variety of artists, including Little Milton and Roy Head who also had...
" and "Baby, I Love You". With the death of Leonard Chess
Leonard Chess
Leonard Chess was a record company executive and the founder of Chess Records. He was influential in the development of electric blues.- Early life :...
the same year, Milton's distributor, Checker Records
Checker Records
Checker Records is an inactive record label that was started in 1952 as a subsidiary to Chess Records in Chicago, Illinois. The label was founded by the Chess brothers, Leonard and Phil, who ran the label until they sold it to General Recorded Tape in 1969, shortly before Leonard's death.The label...
fell into disarray, and Milton joined the Stax
Stax Records
Stax Records is an American record label, originally based in Memphis, Tennessee.Founded in 1957 as Satellite Records, the name Stax Records was adopted in 1961. The label was a major factor in the creation of the Southern soul and Memphis soul music styles, also releasing gospel, funk, jazz, and...
label two years later. Adding complex orchestration to his works, Milton scored hits with "That's What Love Will Make You Do" and "What It Is" from his live album, What It Is: Live at Montreux. He appeared in the documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
, Wattstax
Wattstax
Wattstax is a 1973 documentary film by Mel Stuart that focused on the 1972 Wattstax music festival and the African American community of Watts in Los Angeles, California. The film was nominated for a Golden Globe award for Best Documentary Film in 1974...
, which was released in 1973. Stax, however, had been losing money since late in the previous decade and was forced into bankruptcy in 1975.
After leaving Stax, Milton struggled to maintain a career, moving first to Evidence, then the MCA
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
imprint Mobile Fidelity Records, before finding a home at the independent record label, Malaco Records
Malaco Records
Malaco Records is an independent record label based in Jackson, Mississippi. Malaco is and has been the home of various major soul, blues and gospel acts, such as Johnnie Taylor, Bobby Bland, ZZ Hill, Denise LaSalle, Benny Latimore, Dorothy Moore, Little Milton, Shirley Brown, Marvin Sease, and the...
, where he remained for much of the remainder of his career. His last hit single, "Age Ain't Nothin' But a Number," was released in 1983 from the album of the same name. In 1988, Little Milton was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame
Blues Hall of Fame
The Blues Hall of Fame is a listing of people who have significantly contributed to blues music. Started in 1980 by the Blues Foundation, it honors those who have performed, recorded, or documented blues.-1980:*Big Bill Broonzy*Willie Dixon*John Lee Hooker...
and won a W.C. Handy Award. His most final album, Think of Me, was released in May 2005 on the Telarc imprint, and included writing and guitar on three songs by Peter Shoulder of the UK-based blues-rock
Blues-rock
Blues rock is a hybrid musical genre combining bluesy improvisations over the 12-bar blues and extended boogie jams with rock and roll styles. The core of the blues rock sound is created by the electric guitar, piano, bass guitar and drum kit, with the electric guitar usually amplified through a...
trio Winterville.
The name 'Little Milton' was reused for Gerald Bostock
Gerald Bostock
Gerald Bostock is the fictional author of the poem used as the lyrics for the 1972 Jethro Tull album Thick as a Brick. The album cover is designed to look like a small village newspaper, the St. Cleve Chronicle & Linwell Advertiser...
, the fictional boy poet central to Jethro Tull
Jethro Tull (band)
Jethro Tull are a British rock group formed in 1967. Their music is characterised by the vocals, acoustic guitar, and flute playing of Ian Anderson, who has led the band since its founding, and the guitar work of Martin Barre, who has been with the band since 1969.Initially playing blues rock with...
's 1972 record Thick as a Brick
Thick as a Brick
-Differences between various CD releases:By 2011 the album received three major releases on CD: the first release , the MFSL-release , and the 25th Anniversary Edition . Whereas the first release and the MFSL-release run with identical speed, the 25th Anniversary edition runs 0.5% slower...
.
Milton died on August 4, 2005 from complications following a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
.
Albums
- We're Gonna Make It (1965, Chess) (R&BTop R&B/Hip-Hop AlbumsTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999...
#3 U.S.Billboard 200The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
#101) - Sings Big Blues (1966, Checker)
- Grits Ain't Groceries (1969, Stax) (R&B #41 U.S. #159)
- If Walls Could Talk (1970, MCA/Chess) (R&B #23 U.S. #197)
- Waiting for Little Milton (1973, Stax) (R&B #39)
- What It Is: Live at Montreux (1973, Stax)
- Blues 'n' Soul (1974, Stax) (R&B #45)
- Tin Pan Alley (1975, Stax)
- Friend of Mine (1976, Glades) (R&B #50)
- Me For You, You For Me (1977, Glades)
- Walkin' the Back Streets (1981, Stax)
- The Blues Is Alright (1982, Evidence)
- Age Ain't Nothin' But a Number (1983, Mobile Fidelity) (R&B #53)
- Playing for Keeps (1984, Malaco) (R&B #55)
- I Will Survive (1985, Malaco)
- Annie Mae's Cafe (1986, Malaco)
- Movin' to the Country (1987, Malaco)
- Back to Back (1988, Malaco) (R&B #73)
- Too Much Pain (1990, Malaco) (R&B #40)
- Reality (1991, Malaco) (R&B #57)
- I Need Your Love So Bad (1991, Golden Ear)
- Strugglin' Lady (1992, Malaco) (R&B #63)
- I'm a Gambler (1994, Malaco)
- Live at Westville Prison (1995, Delmark)
- Cheatin' Habit (1996, Malaco) (Blues #14)
- For Real (1998, Malaco) (Blues #13)
- Welcome to Little Milton (1999, Malaco) (Blues #10)
- Feel It (2001, Malaco)
- Guitar Man (2002, Malaco) (Blues #8)
- The Blues Is Alright: Live at Kalamazoo (2004, Varèse Sarabande)
- Think of Me (2005, Telarc) (Blues #14)
- Live at the North Atlantic Blues Festival: His Last Concert (2006 Camil)
Singles
Incomplete listing- "So Mean to Me" (1962) (R&BHot R&B/Hip-Hop SongsHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
#14) - "Blind Man" (1965) (R&B #86)
- "We're Gonna Make It" (1965) (R&B #1 U.S.Billboard Hot 100The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
#25) - "Who's Cheating Who?" (1965) (R&B #4 U.S. #43)
- "Man Loves Two" (1966) (R&B #45)
- "We Got the Winning Hand" (1966) (U.S. #100)
- "Feel So Bad" (1967) (R&B #7, U.S. #91)
- "I'll Never Turn My Back on You" (1967) (R&B #31)
- "Let Me Down Easy" (1968) (R&B #27)
- "More and More" (1968) (R&B #45)
- "Grits Ain't Groceries" (1969) (R&B #13, U.S. #73)
- "Just a Little BitJust a Little Bit (Rosco Gordon song)"Just a Little Bit" is an R&B-style blues song recorded by Rosco Gordon in 1959. It was a hit in both the R&B and pop charts. Called "one of the standards of contemporary blues", "Just a Little Bit" has been recorded by a variety of artists, including Little Milton and Roy Head who also had...
" (1969) (R&B #13, U.S. #97) - "Baby, I Love You" (1970) (R&B #6, U.S. #82)
- "If Walls Could Talk" (1970) (R&B #10, U.S. #71)
- "Somebody's Changin' My Sweet Baby's Mind" (1970) (R&B #22)
- "I Play Dirty" (1971) (R&B #37)
- "If That Ain't a Reason" (1971) (R&B #41)
- "That's What Love Will Make You Do" (1972) (R&B #9, U.S. #59)
- "What It Is" (1973) (R&B #51)
- "Behind Closed Doors" (1974) (R&B #31)
- "Tin Pan Alley" (1974) (R&B #51)
- "Let Me Back In" (1974) (R&B #38)
- "If You Talk In Your Sleep" (1975) (R&B #34)
- "Friend of Mine" (1976) (R&B #15)
- "Baby, It Ain't No Way" (1977) (R&B #94)
- "Loving You" (1977) (R&B #47)
- "Just One Step" (1977) (R&B #59)
- "Age Ain't Nothin' But a Number" (1983) (R&B #89)
Compilation albums
Incomplete Listing- Greatest Hits (1972, MCA/Chess)
- Sun Masters (1990, Rounder)
- Welcome to the Club: The Essential Chess Recordings (1994, MCA/Chess)
- The Complete Stax Singles (1994, Fantasy)
- Stand By Me: The Blues Collection [#48] (1995, Orbis)
- Greatest Hits (1995, Malaco)
- Rockin' the Blues (1996, MCA Special)
- Greatest Hits (The Chess 50th Anniversary Collection) (1997, MCA/Chess)
- Chess Blues Guitar: Two Decades of Killer Fretwork (1998 MCA/Chess)
- Count the Days (1997, 601 Records)
- The Complete Checker Hit Singles (2001, Connoisseur Collection)
- Anthology 1953-1961 (2002, Varèse Sarabande)
- Running Wild Blues (2006, Charly)
- Stax Profiles (2006, Stax)
- The Very Best of Little Milton (2007, Stax)
Appearances on other albums
- Jackie RossJackie RossJackie Ross is an American soul singer.Ross sang gospel music as a child, and performed on a radio show run by her parents, both preachers. After her father died in 1954 she moved to Chicago and was signed to SAR Records by Sam Cooke...
: Take the Weight Off Me (Grapevine) Five duetsDuet (music)A duet is a musical composition for two performers. In classical music, the term is most often used for a composition for two singers or pianists; with other instruments, the word duo is also often used. A piece performed by two pianists performing together on the same piano is referred to as...
with Ross - Albert KingAlbert KingAlbert King was an American blues guitarist and singer, and a major influence in the world of blues guitar playing.-Career:...
, Chico HamiltonChico HamiltonChico Hamilton , is an American jazz drummer and bandleader.-Early life through 1960s:Hamilton was born in Los Angeles, California. He had a fast-track musical education in a band with Charles Mingus, Illinois Jacquet, Ernie Royal, Dexter Gordon, Buddy Collette and Jack Kelso...
, Little Milton: Montreux Festival (Stax 1974) - Various artists: Vanthology: Tribute to Van Morrison (Evidence 2004) Milton covers Van MorrisonVan MorrisonVan Morrison, OBE is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician. His live performances at their best are regarded as transcendental and inspired; while some of his recordings, such as the studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the live album It's Too Late to Stop Now, are widely...
's "Tupelo Honey". - Jean Jacques Milteau: Memphis (Sunnyside) Milton sing Sting's "If You Love Someone Set Them Free".
- E. C. Scott: The Other Side of Me (Black Bud) Milton sings two duets with Scott
- Gov't MuleGov't MuleGov't Mule is a Southern rock jam band formed in 1994 as an Allman Brothers Band side project by Warren Haynes and Allen Woody.The band released their debut album Gov't Mule in 1995...
: The Deep End Volume 1. Milton sings "Soulshine" with Warren HaynesWarren HaynesWarren Haynes is an American rock and blues guitarist, vocalist and songwriter. Haynes is best known for his work as long time guitarist with The Allman Brothers Band and as founding member of the jam band Gov't Mule. Early in his career he was a guitarist for David Allan Coe and The Dickey... - Willie DixonWillie DixonWilliam James "Willie" Dixon was an American blues musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. A Grammy Award winner who was proficient on both the Upright bass and the guitar, as well as his own singing voice, Dixon is arguably best known as one of the most prolific songwriters...
: The Chess Box set, Milton performs "I Can't Quit You BabyI Can't Quit You Baby"I Can't Quit You Baby" is a blues standard written by Willie Dixon and first recorded by Chicago blues artist Otis Rush in 1956. The song, a slow twelve-bar blues, has been recorded by various artists, including Led Zeppelin, who included it on their debut album.- Otis Rush version :"I Can't Quit...
" - Gov't MuleGov't MuleGov't Mule is a Southern rock jam band formed in 1994 as an Allman Brothers Band side project by Warren Haynes and Allen Woody.The band released their debut album Gov't Mule in 1995...
: "Mulennium" live album (3ple CD, 4ple vinyl, 2010, Evil Teen) recorded December 31, 1999 at the Roxy Theatre, Atlanta, GA.