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.
The Blues Is Alright
Little Milton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
that the blues is back,
and it's here to stay.
I wanna tell you a story,
a story all about the blues.
I want you to listen to me baby,
while I sing it to you.
that the blues is back,
and it's here to stay.
I used to have me somebody,
she mean't the whole world to me.
But she left me for someone else,
left my heart in misery.
Yes, she did!
But I knew the day she left me
that the blues was gonna be a part of me.
Yes, it was.
Since you left me with the blues,
it was the last thing I thought I could use.
But I'm glad that you left me,
left me with the blues.
If you hadn't given me the blues,
I wouldn't find myself someone sweet as you.
And I'm gonna tell you.
I said hey, hey, the blues is allright.
Hey, hey, the blues is allright.
I said hey, hey, the blues is allright.
Hey, hey, the blues is allright.
Allright (allright),
allright (allright),
every day and night.
Here we go Albert!
One more time!
Since you left me with the blues,
it was the last thing I thought I could use.
But I'm glad that you left me,
left me with the blues.
If you hadn't given me the blues,
I wouldn't find myself someone sweet as you.
And I'm gonna sing it.
Hey, hey, the blues is allright.
Hey, hey, the blues is allright.
I said hey, hey, the blues is allright.
Hey, hey, the blues is allright.
Allright (allright),
allright (allright),
every day and night.
I said hey, hey, the blues is allright.
Hey, hey, the blues is allright.
I said hey, hey, the blues is allright.
Hey, hey, the blues is allright.
Allright (allright),
it's allright (allright),
every day and night.
One more time!
I said hey, hey, the blues is allright.
Hey, hey, the blues is allright.
I said hey, hey, the blues is allright.
Hey, hey, the blues is allright.
It's allright (allright),
it's allright (allright),
it's allright (allright),
it's allright (allright),
it's allright every day and every night.
Yes, it is!
Want you to hear me when I say
that the blues is back,
and it's here to stay.
The blues is allright!
In Little Milton's song The Blues Is Alright, he aims to reaffirm the significance of blues music in his life. He starts by emphasizing that the blues is back and stresses the fact that it is not just a passing trend, but it is here to stay. Milton then proceeds to tell a story about his experience with the blues. He reminisces about someone who meant the world to him but left him for someone else, leaving him in great emotional pain. Despite this, he acknowledges that the blues was destined to be a part of him. Through this experience, he acknowledges that the blues has played an essential role in his life and has helped him find love again.
The chorus of the song repeats several times, and Milton emphasises that the blues is alright. He strongly believes that the blues has been there for him, through thick and thin, and that it is essential to him. The song's tone is upbeat, with the use of a groovy blues guitar and a solid rhythm section. The song's lyrics and the music make it easy to dance to and lift the listener's mood.
Line by Line Meaning
Want you to hear me when I say that the blues is back, and it's here to stay.
I want to emphasize that the blues is still around and isn't going anywhere.
I wanna tell you a story, a story all about the blues. I want you to listen to me baby, while I sing it to you.
I want to share a personal experience about how the blues has impacted my life and share it with you through song.
I used to have me somebody, she mean't the whole world to me. But she left me for someone else, left my heart in misery. Yes, she did! But I knew the day she left me that the blues was gonna be a part of me. Yes, it was.
I had a significant other who meant everything to me, but when she left, I was devastated. However, I knew that the sadness and pain I felt would integrate with the blues genre of music I love and become a part of who I am.
Since you left me with the blues, it was the last thing I thought I could use. But I'm glad that you left me, left me with the blues. If you hadn't given me the blues, I wouldn't find myself someone sweet as you.
When my significant other left, I never thought the heartbreak and blues would benefit me in any way. But since it gave me the opportunity to find a new love, I'm grateful for the experience.
And I'm gonna tell you. I said hey, hey, the blues is allright. Hey, hey, the blues is allright.
I want to reassure you that the blues still have value and continue to be a fascinating genre of music despite the ups and downs of life.
Allright (allright), allright (allright), every day and night.
The blues is perfect as is, and it's enjoyable every day and night.
Here we go Albert! One more time!
I'm getting ready to perform the blues with someone named Albert and sing this song one more time, loudly and proudly.
It's allright (allright), it's allright (allright), it's allright (allright), it's allright (allright), it's allright every day and every night.
The blues is something that's okay, comforting, and fantastic to experience day and night, every day of the week.
Want you to hear me when I say that the blues is back, and it's here to stay. The blues is allright!
I want to remind you that the blues continue to exist, and they're not going anywhere, and they're still awesome and valuable.
Writer(s): Milton Campbell
Contributed by Owen C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Kenric Boudreaux
When your parents would have a party & they would play this all night.
Aaron Jacobs
In real time π£οΈππβͺππ₯ππ£οΈ ON MOMMAS Request!βͺ
Marty Davs
I just discovered Little Milton. I'M addicted to his great music. KOOL !
Thisone EFE
My soul sing this song ... and I finally found itβΌοΈπ₯π₯π₯
Earl Coleman
I don't care what nobody says the blues are alright every day and every night.
Nurse Nikkia Jones, RNified
This was one of my grand mother's favorite song!!! I love it!!! :)
RetroJenny
Love it! The blues is here to stay!!!
Ari'ze Women Network
Love this song.
Barbara Smith
hey hey the blues is alright!! love my blues!!!
TRACEY WILSON
sitting at my desk right now at work.. foot tapping.. rocking from side to side listening to the blues... it gets no better than this.. :)