Amos Milburn (Houston, Texas, April 1, 1927 – January 3, 1980) was an Ameri… Read Full Bio ↴Amos Milburn (Houston, Texas, April 1, 1927 – January 3, 1980) was an American rhythm and blues singer and pianist, popular during the 1940s and 1950s.

Joseph Amos Milburn, Jr., one of thirteen children, was playing tunes on the piano by the age of five years. He enlisted in the United States Navy when he was fifteen and earned thirteen battle stars in the Philippines, before returning to Houston and organizing a sixteen-piece band playing in Houston clubs and was Managed by William & Geneva Church. Milburn participated with the Houston jazz and blues musicians. He was a polished pianist and performer and during 1946 attracted the attention of a woman who arranged a recording session with Aladdin Records in Los Angeles, California. Milburn's relationship with Aladdin lasted eight years during which he produced more than 75 sides. His cover version of "Down the Road a Piece" (1946) was a blues song with a Texas boogie beat that was similar in many respects to rock music. However, none became popular until 1949 when seven of his singles got the attention of the R&B audience. "Hold Me Baby" and "Chicken Shack Boogie" landed numbers eight and nine on Billboard's survey of 1949's R&B Bestsellers. He became one of the main performers associated with the Central Avenue music scene in Los Angeles. He was also a popular touring artist, and won awards from both Down Beat magazine (Best Blues and Jazz Star) and Billboard magazine (Top R&B Artist). Among his best-known songs was "One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer". During 1950 Milburn's "Bad, Bad, Whiskey" scored the top of the R&B record chart and began a series of drinking songs (none written by Milburn, but several composed by Rudy Toombs). However, there is not any evidence that Milburn had an alcohol problem.
Milburn continued his successful drinking songs through 1952 ("Thinking and Drinking", "Trouble in Mind") and was by now touring the country playing clubs. While touring the Midwest that summer, he announced that he would disband his combo team and continue as a solo act and that autumn he joined Charles Brown for a Southern concert tour. For the next few years each of his tours was composed of a series of one-nighters. After three years of solo performing he returned to Houston during 1956 to reform his band. During 1957 Milburn's releases with Aladdin Records did not sell well, and the record label, having its own problems, terminated. He tried to regain commercial success with a few more releases with Ace Records but his time had passed. Radio airplay was emphasizing on the teenage market.
Milburn contributed to the R&B Yuletide canon twice. The first was in 1949, with "Let's Make Christmas Merry, Baby", on Aladdin Records, and then again during 1960 with "Christmas (Comes but Once a Year)" for King Records. The song appeared as the b-side of Brown's holiday classic "Please Come Home for Christmas".
Milburn's final recording was for an album by Johnny Otis. This was during 1972 after he had been incapacitated by a stroke, so much so that Otis had to play the left-hand piano parts for his enfeebled old friend. His second stroke resulted in amputation of a leg because of circulatory problems. He died soon after at the age of 52 years from a third stroke.

The Texan boogie-woogie pianist and singer was an important performer of blues music during the years immediately after World War II. Milburn was one of the first performers to switch from sophisticated jazz arrangements to a louder "jump" blues. He began to emphasize rhythm and technical qualities of voice and instrumentation second. His energetic songs, about getting "high", were admired by fellow musicians, such as Little Willie Littlefield, Floyd Dixon and his prime disciple, Fats Domino.
He was a commercial success for eleven years and influenced many performers. Fats Domino credited Milburn consistently as an influence on his music.

One commentator noted, "Milburn excelled at good-natured, upbeat romps about booze and partying, imbued with a vibrant sense of humour and double entendre, as well as vivid, down-home imagery in his lyrics."

Bad bad whiskey
Amos Milburn Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Bad, bad whiskey
Bad, bad whiskey
Bad, bad whiskey
Made me loose my happy home
Made me loose my happy home

Whiskey endless women
Is driving me out of my mind

Every time I get a lover that's tough you know
I think I'm doin' just fine
Bad, bad whiskey
Bad, bad whiskey
Bad, bad whiskey
Made me loose my happy home
Made me loose my happy home

I went out last night
Finally knocked myself outta sight
I got full of that bad stuff
And almost started a fight

Bad, bad whiskey
Bad, bad whiskey
Bad, bad whiskey
Made me loose my happy home
Made me loose my happy home

I wanna tell you baby
I'm now feeling just fine
I think I'll stop drinking whiskey
and going back to bad wine
Bad, bad whiskey
Bad, bad whiskey
Bad, bad whiskey
Made me loose my happy home
Made me loose my happy home

Let me tell you
Oh, that bad whiskey

Oh, that bad whiskey
Oh, that no good whiskey

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Amos Milburn's "Bad Bad Whiskey" are a lament about the dangers of alcoholism and the heartbreak and misery it can bring. The repetition of the title in the opening line is a clear indication of the singer's distress and desperation as he blames the bad whiskey for ruining his life. The repeated line - "Made me lose my happy home" - suggests that his drinking has destroyed a loving relationship that was once the source of his happiness. He also talks about engaging in risky behavior and losing control after drinking too much, mentioning "almost starting a fight" after a night of heavy drinking.

The reference to "endless women" indicates that the singer has turned to women and sex to cope with his addiction and the pain it causes him. However, this only exacerbates his problems and drives him "out of his mind". The song ends on a hopeful note, as the singer pledges to stop drinking whiskey and "go back to bad wine." This suggests that he has learned from his mistakes and will try to find a healthier way to cope with his problems.

Overall, "Bad Bad Whiskey" is a poignant reminder of the destructive power of addiction and its toll on individuals and families.

Line by Line Meaning

Bad, bad whiskey
Whiskey is bad, bad, and has had a disastrous impact on the singer's life.

Made me loose my happy home
Whiskey has caused the singer to lose their happy home.

Whiskey endless women Is driving me out of my mind Every time I get a lover that's tough you know I think I'm doin' just fine
Whiskey and women are a bad combination that have caused the singer to lose their mind. They keep thinking they're doing okay with a tough lover, but the whiskey is clouding their judgment.

I went out last night Finally knocked myself outta sight I got full of that bad stuff And almost started a fight
The artist went out and got so drunk on whiskey that they almost got into a physical altercation. They were out of control and unable to handle their alcohol.

I wanna tell you baby I'm now feeling just fine I think I'll stop drinking whiskey and going back to bad wine
Despite the bad experiences with whiskey, the artist feels fine now and plans to switch to a different, albeit still not great, alcohol.

Oh, that bad whiskey Oh, that bad whiskey Oh, that no good whiskey
The singer emphasizes again just how bad and no good whiskey is. They won't be drinking it anymore.

Lyrics © Kanjian Music, BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BUDDY GUY

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Comments from YouTube:

@fob1xxl

2y↑11

I was born in 1945. My parents were married in 1940. They had an extensive 78 rpm record collection. They both passed away in the late 80's. I know my folks had Frank Sinatra, Gene Krupa even Desi Arnaz. I remember this record as a young child. Guess what ? I still have it in there collection. I guess my folks were really alot cooler than I thought !

@jamey48

38w↑1

Just discovered this great singer. I'm 62, so many years lost...time for a deep dive !

@cousinjackpen

4y↑15

A Blues and R&B masterpiece! And ain't he sweet... right in the groove, swinging in ecstacy!
I can't stop replaying this...

@SPTO

1y↑3

I'm a reader of Sampson's Spontaneous Lunacy blog reviewing every rock n' roll song. I just read/listened to his entry on this tune. It's awesome to see Milburn in his prime singing it live.