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.
That's What Love Will Make You Do
Little Milton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I start to shake inside, yes I do
When I see you stroll
I lose my self-control
But that's what love will do for you
That's what love will make you do, oh yeah
No matter how hard I fight it
Listen, if you're ever in need
There's no limit to what I'll do
I'll work eight days a week
And give it all to you
Cause that's what love will do for you
That's what love will make you do
No matter how hard I fight it
Oh, I'm still in love with you
Oh, that's right, alright
Listen, when they speak of beauty
You can stand the test, yes you can
When they talk about makin' love
Baby, you're the best, but yes you are
I don't want to brag about you too much
And give others ideas
But I'm tryin' hard to express myself
Cause baby, that's the way I feel
That's what love will do for you
That's what love will make you do, oh yeah
No matter how hard I fight it
Baby, I'm still in love with you, yeah
Oh yeah, come on, yeah, hmm
In the song "That's What Love Will Make You Do" by Little Milton, the singer describes the powerful effects of love on his emotions and actions. He begins by acknowledging that just hearing the name of his beloved makes him shake with excitement, and seeing her causes him to lose control of his demeanor. Despite any efforts he may make to resist this love, he is unable to do so. He then pledges his loyalty and devotion to his beloved, insisting that there is nothing he wouldn't do for her. He describes the physical beauty and sexual prowess of his beloved, highlighting her superiority over others. He concludes by repeating the refrain that love will make you do seemingly irrational and uncontrollable things.
These lyrics convey a common experience of the overpowering nature of romantic love. The singer's descriptions of his reactions to his beloved are intense and visceral, suggesting a deep and consuming passion. The declaration of loyalty and willingness to sacrifice for his beloved indicate the selflessness and devotion that love can inspire. The acknowledgement that love can make one do irrational things suggests that love is not fully under our control, but rather has the power to disrupt our normal behavior and thought processes.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, when I hear your name
The mere mention of your name excites me to the point of nervousness
I start to shake inside, yes I do
My emotions overwhelm me and cause physical reactions inside my body
When I see you stroll
Just catching a glimpse of your movement fills me with awe
I lose my self-control
I am unable to contain my feelings and my behavior becomes unpredictable
But that's what love will do for you
This uncontrollable emotion is a natural result of being in love
That's what love will make you do, oh yeah
Love has the power to affect our behavior in powerful ways that we cannot always understand
No matter how hard I fight it
Even if I resist these feelings, they persist and are stronger than my willpower
Oh, I'm still in love with you
Despite any obstacles or doubts, my love for you remains unwavering
Listen, if you're ever in need
I am willing and ready to help you, no matter the cost
There's no limit to what I'll do
I am willing to go to great lengths to demonstrate my love and support for you
I'll work eight days a week
I will work harder than I should, beyond what is expected, to help you
And give it all to you
I am willing to sacrifice my own needs to fulfill yours
Cause that's what love will do for you
I do these things not out of obligation but out of the love I have for you
Listen, when they speak of beauty
Others may talk about beauty, but I see it in you
You can stand the test, yes you can
You are not just physically beautiful, but you are also strong and resilient
When they talk about makin' love
Others may talk about sex or intimacy, but when I think of love it's about being with you
Baby, you're the best, but yes you are
You are the epitome of what I consider to be the best in all aspects
I don't want to brag about you too much
I don't want to draw too much attention to the one I hold dear
And give others ideas
For fear that others may desire to have what I hold dear for myself
But I'm tryin' hard to express myself
I struggle to put into words just how much you mean to me
Cause baby, that's the way I feel
But know that my love for you is genuine and true
Baby, I'm still in love with you, yeah
Despite all that life throws our way, my love for you remains unchanged
Oh yeah, come on, yeah, hmm
The intensity of my feelings is hard to contain and expresses itself in various ways
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: MILTON CAMPBELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Will’s Guitar Page
I had the good pleasure of playing on 3 or 4 of his records, and he was a true gentleman, and elder statesman. RIP
wheatsolo
@xander I want to know too. This is a sick beat. What amazing hi-hat and baseline weaving. Everybody else making it extra funky.
Neil Bell
Love this type of comment. Thank YOU Will McFarlane for the tunes; Muscle Shoals, Bonnie Raitt, Donna Jean Godchaux, Jimmy Nutt, and countless others.
musicloverfromgaryindiana
Alan Willey
46 years on and it's still so fresh. Boogie on Milton.
GDCTT
another blues pioneer that didn't get the recognition he deserved. that's some amazing guitar work. thanks for posting this.
leftystrat62
I've been listening to the blues for 15 years,and today is the 1st time I've heard of Little Milton. Just goes to show how many many great players are out there to discover. Thank goodness for youtube.
Dennis. hell yea Grubbs
leftystrat62 Amen
Marie Sims
Listen to The blues all my life And My were A blues Man and he love Some Mr Little Milton Campbell
Marie Sims
I been listen to the blues all of mt life because my daddy were a blues Man
João Baptista
Bom demais....