1) Little Milton (September 17, 1934—August 4, 2005) was the stage name for… Read Full Bio ↴1) Little Milton (September 17, 1934—August 4, 2005) was the stage name for Milton Campbell, Jr., a blues vocalist and guitarist best known his hits "Grits Ain't Groceries" and "We're Going to Make It." Most popular in the sixties, he became one of the lesser known greats of the genre, combining traditional lyrical structure with smoother production.
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.
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.
You're Givin' Me the Blues
Little Milton Lyrics
We have lyrics for these tracks by Little Milton:
Baby I Love You Baby, I love you, yes I do Baby, I love you,…
Behind Closed Doors My baby makes me proud, Lord don't she make me…
Blind Man Blind man standing on the corner Crying out the blues, said,…
Blue Monday Blue Monday, how I hate blue Monday Got me workin'…
Blues Get Off My Shoulder There's a cold, cold feelin...' in my heart !Oh Lord!, It's…
Blues in the Night Hoverin' by my suitcase Tryin' to find a warm place to…
Born Yesterday (You know, sometimes we men have a tendency to think…
Can't Quit You Baby We-ell, I can't quit you baby, But I got to…
Eight Men Four Women (Eight men, four women Lord, that's the jury of love) I…
Feel So Bad Feel so bad Feel like a ballgame on a rainy day I…
Grits Ain If I don't love you, baby Grits ain't grocery Eggs ain't pou…
How Could You Do It To Me Hey, my mind is full of sad memories My heart and…
I Can't Quit You Baby We-ell, I can't quit you baby, But I got to…
I Can't Quit You Baby - Live We-ell, I can't quit you baby, But I got to put…
I Can’t Quit You Baby We-ell, I can't quit you baby, But I got to…
I Feel So Bad Feel so bad Feel like a ballgame on a rainy day I…
I'm Gonna Move to Outskirts of Town I'm gonna move baby, way out on the outskirts of…
If Walls Could Talk (Bobby Miller) Well, if things could talk then I’m sure you…
If Walls Could Talk - Single Version Hey y'all! If walls could talk then I'm sure you'd hear A…
Just A Little Bit Oh hear me now I don't want much I just want a…
Kansas City I'm going to Kansas City Kansas City here I come I'm going…
Let Me Down Easy I gave you all my love. Don't you abuse it. I gave…
Little Bluebird I know a little bluebird I sure wish she would sing…
Me When the night has come And the land is dark And the…
Me for You Hey, my mind is full of sad memories My heart and…
Misty Blue Our guardian star lost all his glow The day that…
She Know How To Wear A Hat Hey y'all! I've gotta tell you all about my baby She's got…
So Mean To Me TELLIN' EVERYBODY All over town, When my money run out, Y…
Spring I feel that spring is comin′ on I feel it ll…
Stand by Me When the night has come And the land is dark And the…
Stormy Monday They call it stormy Monday But Tuesday's just as bad They ca…
Teach Me How Hey, my mind is full of sad memories My heart and…
That Will Never Do Oh, when I hear your name I start to shake inside,…
That's The Way I Feel About It Huh, you know life is funny when you look at…
That's What Love Will Make You Do Oh, when I hear your name I start to shake inside,…
That's Where It's At Huh, you know life is funny when you look at…
The Blues Is Alright Want you to hear me when I say that the blues…
The Blues Is My Companion Spoken: Oh yeah Well, I think I've got to find me ano…
The Love Of A Woman When the day is done, and the night is near Happiness…
The Thrill Is Gone The thrill is gone The thrill is gone away The thrill is…
Things I Used To Do The things that I used to do Lord, I won't do…
Tin Pan Alley They tell me Tin Pan Alley The roughest place in town They…
Twenty-Three Hours It′s been twenty three hours And seventeen minutes And thirt…
Walkin' The Back Streets And Crying You know my baby told me not so very long…
We're Gonna Make It We may not have a cent to pay the rent …
Who's Cheating Who You kiss me off To work in the morning But it doesn't…
Woman Across The River Across the river, a good woman cried All because a foolish…
You're Gonna Have A Murder On Your Hands Hey baby, you shouldn't love me like this, oh no Hey…
You're Welcome to the Club Just walk right in And sit right down I know your heart's…
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