Little Milton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Little Milton
|
|
|---|---|
Little Milton playing in Jackson, Mississippi in 2002.
|
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | James Milton Campbell Jr. |
| Born | September 7, 1934 Inverness, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Died | August 4, 2005 (aged 70) Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Genres | Electric blues, R&B, soul, funk |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Guitar, vocals |
| Years active | 1953–2005 |
| Labels | |
James Milton Campbell Jr. (born September 7, 1934 – died August 4, 2005) was an American musician. He was much better known as Little Milton. He was a talented blues singer and guitarist.
Little Milton was famous for his hit song "We're Gonna Make It". This song reached number one on the R&B music charts in 1965. Other popular songs by him include "Baby, I Love You" and "Who's Cheating Who?". He was born in the Mississippi Delta region.
Milton started his music career in 1953 with Sun Records. Later, he moved to St. Louis and helped start Bobbin Records in 1958. He became very successful after signing with Checker Records. He also recorded music for many other labels like Stax and Malaco. In 1988, Little Milton was honored by being added to the Blues Hall of Fame.
Contents
About Little Milton
Little Milton, whose real name was James Milton Campbell Jr., was born on September 7, 1934, in Inverness, Mississippi. He grew up in Greenville, Mississippi. His father was a farmer and also a local blues musician. By the time he was twelve, Milton was already playing music on the streets. He was inspired by blues artists like T-Bone Walker.
In the early 1950s, he joined a three-person band called the Rhythm Aces. They played music all over the Mississippi Delta area. One of the band members, Eddie Cusic, taught Milton how to play the guitar. In 1951, Milton also played guitar for pianist Willie Love on some recordings for Trumpet Records.
Starting His Music Career
In 1953, when Milton was still a teenager playing in local bars, he was discovered by Ike Turner. Ike Turner was a talent scout for Sam Phillips, who owned Sun Records. Milton signed a contract with Sun Records and recorded several songs. However, these songs did not become popular on the radio or sell well. So, Milton left Sun Records in 1955. For the next two years, he released songs with Meteor Records.
In 1958, Milton moved to East St. Louis. There, he started his own record label called Bobbin Records. This label later made a deal with Leonard Chess's Chess Records to help distribute their music. As a record producer, Milton helped other artists like Albert King and Fontella Bass become famous. At the same time, he started to find success himself. In 1962, his song "So Mean to Me" became a hit. It reached number 14 on the Billboard R&B music chart.
Finding More Success
After a short break from music, Milton returned in 1965 with a new, smoother sound. It was similar to the style of B.B. King. After a song called "Blind Man," he released two big hit songs. The first was "We're Gonna Make It." This song mixed blues and soul music. It became number one on the R&B chart. It also became popular on Top 40 radio, which was mostly played by white artists at the time. After that, he released "Who's Cheating Who?", which reached number 4 on the R&B chart. All three of these songs were on his album, We're Gonna Make It, released that summer.
Milton's song "Let Me Down Easy" was recorded by another band, the Spencer Davis Group, in 1965. However, they did not give him credit for writing it. Milton released his own version of the song in 1968. The famous singer Etta James also chose it as the last song on her final album in 2011.
Later Career and Legacy
Throughout the late 1960s, Milton released several successful songs. In 1969, he released the album Grits Ain't Groceries. This album included the hit song of the same name, plus "Just a Little Bit" and "Baby, I Love You". When Leonard Chess, the owner of Checker Records, passed away, Milton joined the Stax label in 1971.
At Stax, Milton added more complex music to his songs. He had hits like "That's What Love Will Make You Do." He also appeared in a movie called Wattstax in 1973. However, Stax Records faced financial problems and closed down in 1975.
After leaving Stax, Milton faced challenges in his music career. He moved to different labels before finding a home at Malaco Records. In 1999, he received his second GRAMMY nomination for his album "Welcome To Little Milton." He stayed with Malaco for most of the rest of his career. His last hit song, "Age Ain't Nothin' But a Number," came out in 1983.
In 1988, Little Milton was honored by being inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame. He also won a W.C. Handy Award. His final album, Think of Me, was released in May 2005. It included songs written by Peter Shoulder.
Little Milton passed away on August 4, 2005, at the age of 70. He died from problems after having a stroke. After his death, a special marker was placed on the Mississippi Blues Trail in Inverness to honor him.
Discography
Little Milton released many albums and singles throughout his long career. Here are some of his most well-known albums:
- We're Gonna Make It (1965)
- Grits Ain't Groceries (1969)
- If Walls Could Talk (1970)
- That's What Love Will Make You Do (1971)
- Age Ain't Nothin' But a Number (1983)
- Think of Me (2005)
Some of his most famous songs include:
- "So Mean to Me" (1961)
- "We're Gonna Make It" (1965)
- "Who's Cheating Who?" (1965)
- "Feel So Bad" (1966)
- "Let Me Down Easy" (1968)
- "Grits Ain't Groceries (All Around The World)" (1968)
- "Just a Little Bit" (1969)
- "If Walls Could Talk" (1969)
- "Baby, I Love You" (1970)
- "That's What Love Will Make You Do" (1971)
- "Friend of Mine" (1976)
- "Age Ain't Nothin' but a Number" (1983)
Images for kids
-
Little Milton in France, 1982.
