Roy Milton

Roy Milton

Milton in 1977
Background information
Birth name Roy Bunny Milton
Born (1907-07-31)July 31, 1907
Wynnewood, Oklahoma, United States
Died September 18, 1983(1983-09-18) (aged 76)
Los Angeles, California, United States
Genres R&B, jump blues[1]
Occupation(s) Singer, drummer, bandleader
Instruments Drums
Years active 1920s—1970s
Labels Juke Box, Specialty, Warwick, Kent, Black & Blue
Associated acts Ernie Fields
Camille Howard
Johnny Otis

Roy Bunny Milton[2] (July 31, 1907 – September 18, 1983)[3] was an American R&B and jump blues singer, drummer and bandleader.[1]

Career

Milton's grandmother was Chickasaw. He was born in Wynnewood, Oklahoma,[3] and grew up on an Indian reservation before moving to Tulsa, Oklahoma. He joined the Ernie Fields band in the late 1920s as singer and, later, drummer.[4]

After moving to Los Angeles, in 1933, he formed his own band, the Solid Senders, with Camille Howard on piano.[4] He performed in local clubs and began recording in the 1940s, his first release being "Milton's Boogie" on his own record label.[3] His big break came in 1945, when his "R.M. Blues", on the new Juke Box label, became a hit, reaching number 2 on the Billboard R&B chart and number 20 on the pop chart.[4] Its success helped establish Art Rupe's company, which he shortly afterwards renamed Specialty Records.[5]

Milton and his band became a major touring attraction, and he continued to record successfully for Specialty Records through the late 1940s and early 1950s. He recorded a total of 19 Top Ten R&B hits, the biggest being "Hop, Skip and Jump" (number 3 R&B, 1948), "Information Blues" (number 2 R&B, 1950), and "Best Wishes" (number 2 R&B, 1951). He left Specialty in 1955. However, releases on other labels were unsuccessful, and with the emergence of rock and roll his style of music became unfashionable by the middle of the decade.[4]

He continued to perform, appearing as a member of the Johnny Otis band at the Monterey Jazz Festival in 1970, and he resumed his recording career in the 1970s with albums for Kent Records (Roots of Rock, Vol. 1: Roy Milton, Kent KST-554) and for the French label Black & Blue Records (Instant Groove, Black and Blue 33.114).[4]

Milton died in Los Angeles on 18 September 1983, aged 76.

A cover version of his song "Reelin' and Rockin'" was recorded by the group Rocket Sixty-Nine for their 1996 album Jump Shot!

Discography

Original 10" shellac (78-rpm) and 7" vinyl (45-rpm) singles

LP and CD releases of note

Milton recorded for several small labels. All known releases are listed.[6]

The three volumes listed above include recordings by Milton and his band for Specialty Records between 1947 and 1953, plus the four recordings he made for Juke Box Records in 1945.

References

  1. 1 2 Du Noyer, Paul (2003). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Music. Fulham, London: Flame Tree Publishing. p. 181. ISBN 1-904041-96-5.
  2. ↑ Eagle, Bob; LeBlanc, Eric S. (2013). Blues: A Regional Experience. Santa Barbara, California: Praeger. p. 340. ISBN 978-0313344237.
  3. 1 2 3 Doc Rock. "The 1980s". TheDeadRockStarsClub.com. Retrieved 2015-10-05.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Russell, Tony (1997). The Blues: From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray. Dubai: Carlton Books. p. 140. ISBN 1-85868-255-X.
  5. ↑ "Art Rupe's Specialty Records". History-of-rock.com. Retrieved 2006-11-26.
  6. ↑ "Billboard". Books.google.com. 1955-03-12. p. 47. Retrieved 2015-10-05.


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