Milton, Little 1934–

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Little Milton 1934–

Blues musician, guitarist

Little Milton Campbell is a consummate blues musician. A performer known for his extraordinary technique, soulful voice, and unique blend of musical styles, Milton is also admired for his staying power. As a talented musician and shrewd businessman, he has been recording consistently for over 50 years. While Milton may not have developed a clearly identifiable sound, which may explain why he has never been considered a “top forty” favorite, he has managed to use his extraordinary musical skills to change with the times. Milton provides his audiences with contemporary music while staying true to his Mississippi Delta roots. Whether performing a solo with an acoustic guitar or playing an electric guitar backed by keyboard, bass, and drums, Little Milton is an authentic, grassroots blues artist.

In 1965 Milton recorded “We’re Gonna Make It,” a song that hit home during the height of the Civil Rights Era. It remained number one on Billboard magazine’s R&B singles chart for many weeks. More than 30 years later he recorded a number of duets with a broad spectrum of contemporary performers such as the blues artist Keb’ Mo’, country singer Lucinda Williams, and pop-rock artist G Love. An accomplished songwriter, Milton has written many well known songs, including “Grits Ain’t Groceries” and “If Walls Could Talk.” The song that helped define him as a blues legend was “The Blues Is Alright,” unofficially recognized as the “International Blues Anthem.” Over the years, his music has been recorded by many solo artists, including Traffic; Blood, Sweat & Tears; and Savoy Brown. In 1988 Little Milton was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame and won the W.C. Handy Award for Blues Entertainer of the Year.

Purchased First Guitar

Named after his father, Milton Campbell, a man who supported his family by farming and playing in local blues bands, James Milton Campbell came to be known as “Little Milton.” He was born in sharecropper housing just outside of the small town of Inverness, Mississippi, but was raised in Greenville, farther north on the Mississippi River. Milton grew up listening to his father and several other musicians play the regional, gospeltinged blues that evolved in the Mississippi Delta area during the first few decades of the 1900s. He also loved to listen to The Grand Ole Opry; on the radio, and

At a Glance…

Born James Milton Campbell on September 7, 1934, in Inverness, MS; son of Milton and Pearl Campbell

Career: Blues musician, guitarist. Recorded for Sun, Bobbins, Chess, Stax, and Malaco Records. Songs include: “Blind Man,” “Blues is Alright,” “Grits Ain’t Groceries,” “Hard Luck Blues,” “I’m A Lonely Man,” “Little Bluebird,” “Who’s Cheating Who?,” “We’re Gonna Make It,”

Awards: W.C Handy Award for Blues Entertainer of the Year, 1988; Blues Hall of Fame, inductee, 1988.

Address: Office —CarniL Productions, 6608 Solitary Ave, Las Vegas, NV, 89110.

became familiar with the sounds country and western music at a young age.

His first guitar was as make-shift as one could get—he nailed some wires to the side of his house and plucked away. When Milton was about 12 years old, he picked cotton and did odd jobs around the neighborhood, scraping together enough money to send away for a Roy Rogers-style guitar he had seen in a mail-order catalogue. Pearl, his practical minded mother, expressed concern about Little Milton spending over $14 on a guitar. She demanded he send it back. Fortunately for die-hard blues fans, Big Milton intervened, and his son was allowed to keep the guitar. This episode was one that Milton teased his mother about for years to come. According to a Malaco Records biographical sketch, Milton once said to his mother, “‘Mama, suppose I had taken that guitar back?’ She said, ‘Boy, I’m glad you didn’t.’”

Learned Alt About the Btues

Once he had his guitar, Little Milton taught himself to play by watching and listening to other blues artists at picnics and house parties. He played anywhere he could, on street corners, in alleys, and at public gatherings. Within a few years, after acquiring a repertoire, he made his way into white honky tonks and black clubs in the Greenville area, often making a wage of $1.50 per night. Eventually, he ventured across the Mississippi River to Helena, Arkansas, where he played at local venues and occasionally sat in with legendary bluesmen Sonny Boy Williamson and Willie Love. In an biography written for bayblues.org, the website of the 2001 “Endless Summer Blues Bash,” Milton explained, “I was just a kid—I lied about my age and they gave me a gig.” Willie Love liked what he heard, and he incorporated Milton into his band, Three Aces, with whom Milton made his first recording on the Trumpet label in 1951. While playing with Love, Milton attracted the attention of Ike Turner, who was a scout for Sun Records at the time. Sam Phillips, the owner of Sun Studio, signed Little Milton to the label in 1953, giving him his first major break. Unfortunately for Milton, around the time he recorded his debut single, “Beggin’ My Baby,” Phillips was working with a newcomer named Elvis Presley. In an essay entitled “Bright Lights, Big City; Urban Blues,” included in the book Nothing But the Blues, Mark A. Humphrey wrote, “Milton had yet to find his style … when he cut ‘Alone and Blue’ in March 1954. Elvis’s first session was only four months away, and his success pointed Phillips in a different direction. By the year’s end, blues activity at Sun had virtually ceased.” While with Sun and Sam Phillips, Milton remained a relatively obscure blues entertainer.

In 1957 Milton recorded one single for the Meteor label. He then moved to St. Louis, where he was befriended by Bob Lyons. Lyons, who worked at KATZ radio, was a big fan of the struggling bluesman. He soon agreed to set up remote broadcasts of Milton’s local shows. Lyons also helped Milton record a demo, which was sent to well-known record labels. When Mercury Records turned down Milton’s recording, the disgruntled pair decided to start their own label, Bobbins Records. While recording for the label, Milton also acted as business partner, an experience that taught him the management aspects of the music business. During the years he stayed with Bobbins, Milton managed to sign other blues artists such as Albert King and Fontella Bass; he also recorded several signature songs. The track “I’m a Lonely Man” led to a distribution arrangement with Chess records, a major label based in Chicago. In 1961 Milton switched over to a Chess subsidiary, Checker Records. The decision brought him into the spotlight, and was responsible for introducing him to a wider audience. In 1969, after the death of Chess owner Leonard Chess, the company dissolved. Milton moved to Stax records, where he remained until the label went bankrupt in 1975. The next company he signed with, TK/Glade Records, also went out of business. Finally, Milton joined Malaco Records in 1984. He found a stable home at Malaco, and has remained with the label since, producing over 14 albums and becoming one of the label’s biggest selling artists.

Influenced by a Legend

Little Milton’s sound has been compared to a blend of B.B. King and Bobby Blue Bland. While growing up in Mississippi, a state that has produced many of the country’s legendary blues musicians, Milton had many role models and blues artists to emulate. However, it was the sound of the Texas-born blues guitarist T-Bone Walker that Milton claimed shaped his style the most. In an interview for Tower Record’s Pulse! magazine, Milton described the genesis of his guitar playing. He stated, “Going back, my greatest influence was the late T-Bone Walker … He made a great contribution to the way I felt I would like to play the blues. I don’t play exactly like him. The only somebody I once wanted to play exactly like was T-Bone. But I was never able to duplicate him, although I was able to capture some of the meaningful things he did as a guitarist.”

Many blues artists name their guitars; Little Milton is no exception. According to the website of Malaco Records, Milton considers his guitar, “Bessie,” to be his best friend, and he credits her for his success. Milton states, “She never says no, she never gets sick, she makes me money, and she’s always ready when I call on her.” In an interview conducted at the King Biscuit Festival in Helena, Arkansas, Blues Access writers Jay Weiner and Alain Recaborde spoke to Milton about his long career and asked about his plans for retirement. Milton responded, “The time that I’ll retire is when they lay me down, fold my arms and y’all come by and say, That sorta look like him. Yeah, that’s him!’ Other than that, as long as God grants me the time on this earth, I’m gonna’ enjoy doing what I’m doing.” Little Milton and “Bessie” will be playing the blues for years to come, which is great news for blues fans everywhere.