Little Milton
*Little Milton was born on this date in 1934. He was a Black musician and singer.
Born and raised on a farm in the Mississippi Delta (near Inverness), Milton Campbell, Jr. was named after his father, Big Milton, a blues musician. His father tried hard to provide for his family by farming the land and playing the blues around town. As time went on, Little Milton earned enough to buy a guitar. In his middle teenage years, he found Ike Turner. Turner was "the man" when getting into the business. Little Milton toured with Turner around the Delta playing the blues.
In 1953, at eighteen, Turner introduced him to Sam Phillips of Sun Records. This was his big start; in St. Louis at Bobbin Records, he wrote the songs I'm a Lonely Man, and That Will Never Do, which made Milton a prominent blues force. About 1960, Little Milton switched to Checker Records, and five years later, he had the hit We're Gonna Make It. This song perfectly coincided with the struggle for American Civil Rights. Having significant meaning for Blacks at the time, this song was the first of many big hits to come.
In 1971, Little Milton changed record labels to the Memphis-based Stax Record Company. Here, he recorded Annie Mae's Cafe and Little Bluebird. His last recording company is Malaco Records in Jackson, Mississippi. He went there in 1984 and wrote The Blues Is Alright. Little Milton received many awards, including the W. C. Handy 1988 Blues Entertainer of the Year. He was also inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame the same year.
Little Milton released at least five different collectibles and over eight self-made albums. His album, I'm a Gambler, was released in 1996 and sold heavily. With age, Milton's career slowed but not stopped. According to the Chicago Tribune, the slowing down in his album sales results from a generation that doesn't realize his prolific style of blues music. In the 90s, he was with Delmark Records.
His last album 'Think Of Me' was released in May 2005. Little Milton died from a stroke on August 4, 2005.
