Milton was born James Milton Campbell, Jr., in the Mississippi Delta town of Inverness and raised in Greenville by a farmer and local blues musician.[2] 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.[2] 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.[2]
After trying several labels without notable success, including Trumpet Records,[3] Milton set up the St. Louis based Bobbin Records label, which ultimately scored a distribution deal with Leonard Chess' Chess Records.[2] 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.[2] 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.[2] 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.[4] Stax, however, had been losing money since late in the previous decade and was forced into bankruptcy in 1975.[2]
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.[2] His last hit single, "Age Ain't Nothin' But a Number," was released in 1983 from the album of the same name.[2] In 1988, Little Milton was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame and won a W.C. Handy Award.[2] 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.
I Can't Quit You Baby
Little Milton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I got to put you down a little while
We-ell, I can't quit you baby,
But I got to put you down a little while
We-ell you done made me mess up my happy home,
Made me mistreat my only child
Ah, when you hear me moanin' and groanin',
Whoa you know it hurts me way down inside
Whoa when you hear me moanin' and groanin',
You know it hurts way down inside
Oh when you hear me howlin',
Ooh you know my love will never die, alright
Well when you see me cryin',
Don't let my tears fall in vain
Well when you see me cryin, darlin',
Please don't let my tears fall in vain
Lord, I don't know what to do,
You know my heart is filled with pain
Whoa, when you hear me howlin',
Baby, you know it hurts way down inside
The lyrics in Little Milton’s song, “I Can’t Quit You Baby” depicts a man who is deeply in love with someone who has caused him pain and heartache, yet he cannot seem to leave them alone. The first two lines of the song reveal his internal conflict over the situation. He admits that he cannot quit this person, but he must put them down for some time. This suggests that while he desires the person, he is also aware that they are not good for him, and he needs a break from them. The next two lines explain why he needs to separate from this person - they have caused him to mess up his happy home and mistreat his child.
The chorus deals with the physical and emotional pain he endures because of his love for this person. The moaning and groaning in the first two lines is symbolic of his inner turmoil caused by loving this person. He tries to convey the depth of his love and the ache in his heart when he sings, “You know it hurts me way down inside”. The last two lines of the chorus show the extent of his devotion, that his love will never die. The last verse highlights a plea to the person to not let his tears fall in vain and to understand the pain in his heart. Overall, the song is a beautiful yet tragic depiction of the internal conflict between love and logical thought.
Line by Line Meaning
We-ell, I can't quit you baby,
I can't stop loving you
But I got to put you down a little while
But I need a break from this overwhelming feeling
We-ell you done made me mess up my happy home,
You caused me to ruin my peaceful house
Made me mistreat my only child
Which led me to neglect my only offspring
Ah, when you hear me moanin' and groanin',
Whenever I express my pain and suffering
Whoa you know it hurts me way down inside
You should understand that it's tormenting me deeply
Oh when you hear me howlin',
When I shout in despair
Ooh you know my love will never die, alright
That's when you need to realize that my love for you is everlasting
Well when you see me cryin',
Whenever you witness me shedding tears
Don't let my tears fall in vain
Please don't let my tears be useless
Lord, I don't know what to do,
My situation is driving me into confusion
You know my heart is filled with pain
As you know, my heart is aching
Whoa, when you hear me howlin',
Whenever I yell in agony
Baby, you know it hurts way down inside
You should comprehend that it's piercing my soul
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Willie Dixon
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@randyv.2880
Now, this was real music back in the day. REAL Blues music!
@oldlady7589
@8 Bit Hero Us OLD timers listen, smile and remenis.
@jeromeross5440
I have always thought Little Milton deserved as much respect as some of the other blues guitarists.He has many other guitar greats just as good as this one.
@arnoldphipps4246
I remember playing on the front porch while my grandmother cranked up this tune. It really got us going. If you're still jammin' or have just begun to jam to this, then you KNOW, as Milton would later say, THE BLUES IS ALRIGHT.
@stilettogal1946
YEAH!!!!
@EvelynHenley-mb6uw
⁰
6?😊
@MrsKang-bq9cn
I LOVE LITTLE MILTON'S VERSION OF THIS SONG 💗 SOMETHING ABOUT THAT GUITAR AND HIS TRUTH TELLING ON HERE!!👍🏽😍
@georgehouston7922
This mans blues is second only to BB King in my soul,his Guitar and BB Kings Guitar brings tears to my eyes. and I know there Guitar the minute I hear it. I don't know why that is, but the minute I here them I stop what I'm doing. I can listen to "I Can't Quit You Baby" over and over and over again.
@lendlkaiser3622
That guitar has a haunting manner ,just beautiful!
@KokoaJWhite
This man put his soul into this song.