Little Milton passes

[TklDuo-Drew]

Couldn't find any major articles on this, but for our friends into blues who weren't aware, bluesman Little Milton passed away from a stroke on Thursday, Aug. 4th. He was 71 years old and an awesome blues singer. :sadcry:


Drew

[tickledorange]

Man, and I had just seen him in concert not even a month ago.

[venray]

<center>http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/1375/milton8ya.jpg</center>


LOS ANGELES, California (Hollywood Reporter) -- Singer-guitarist Little Milton Campbell, whose career as a soul-blues star spanned five decades, died Thursday in Memphis. He was 70.

Campbell was hospitalized after suffering two strokes in late July.

He was possibly the most gifted and versatile of all Southern soul-blues performers. A powerful and evocative vocalist, Campbell was also an underestimated and potent guitar player in the B.B. King mold.

Born September 7, 1934, in Inverness, Mississippi, Campbell was influenced by his father, a local musician, and by the music he heard on the Grand Ole Opry's national broadcasts. T-Bone Walker served as an early guitar role model.

A veteran of the Southern touring circuit as a teen, Campbell performed with guitarist-pianist Ike Turner, who brought the young musician to Sam Phillips' fledgling Sun Records in Memphis in 1953. His Sun sides caused few ripples, but Campbell went on to enjoy a fruitful association as a performer and A&R man with St. Louis' Bobbin Records, where he signed Albert King and Fontella Bass.

In 1961, Campbell moved to Chicago-based Chess Records, where he recorded prolifically for the Checker subsidiary. He racked up a No. 1 national R&B hit in 1965 with the easy-rolling "We're Gonna Make It"; his other top 10 entries for the label included "Who's Cheating Who?," "Feels So Bad," "If Walls Could Talk," "Baby I Love You" and "Grits Ain't Groceries."

Through the '70s, he cemented his reputation as a top Southern blues performer with stints at Memphis' Stax Records and Miami's Glades Records. He released his lone major label album, "Age Ain't Nothin' But a Number," on MCA in 1983. In 1984 he joined Jackson, Mississippi-based Malaco Records, where he maintained a strong regional soul-blues presence for nearly two decades.

Campbell received the 1988 W.C. Handy Blues Award as entertainer of the year.

His long tenure at Malaco, which was highlighted by his penning of the blues festival anthem "The Blues Is Alright," was capped in 1999 by "Welcome to Little Milton." The collection of duets with such collaborators as Lucinda Williams, Dave Alvin, Delbert McClinton and Susan Tedeschi received a Grammy nomination as best contemporary blues album.

Campbell's last album, "Think of Me," was issued by Telarc in early 2005.

Campbell is survived by his wife Pat, and a son and daughter from a previous marriage.

http://www.littlemilton.com/welcome.html


:sowrong:

[TklDuo-Drew]

I can never figure out how to post all the info on someone passing away.

Thank you Ray, for getting out all the particulars I might've missed. ;)



Drew

[venray]

No problem Drew. It is a shame we have lost another of the greats...

His tour was scheduled to run until 1/15/05.....

Find our more about him here.........

http://www.littlemilton.com/biography.htm

Ray