Roy Milton
As in-the-pocket drummer of his own jump blues combo, the Solid Senders, Roy Milton was in a perfect position to drive his outfit just as hard or soft as he so desired. With his stellar sense of swing, Milton did just that; his steady backbeat on his 1946 single for Art Rupe's fledgling Juke Box imprint, "R.M. Blues," helped steer it to the uppermost reaches of the R&B charts (his assured vocal didn't hurt either).
Milton spent his early years on an Indian reservation in Oklahoma (his maternal grandmother was a Native American) before moving to Tulsa. He sang with Ernie Fields's territory band during the late '20s and began doubling on drums when the band's regular trapsman got arrested one fateful evening. In the mood to leave Fields in 1933, Milton wandered west to Los Angeles and formed the Solid Senders. 1945 was a big year for him -- along with signing with Juke Box (soon to be renamed Specialty), the band filmed three soundies with singer June Richmond.
"R.M. Blues" was such a huge seller that it established Specialty as a viable concern for the long haul. Rupe knew a good thing when he saw it, recording Milton early and often through 1953. He was rewarded with 19 Top Ten R&B hits by the Solid Senders, including "Milton's Boogie," "True Blues," "Hop, Skip and Jump," "Information Blues," "Oh Babe" (a torrid cover of Louis Prima's jivey jump), and "Best Wishes." Milton's resident boogie piano specialist, Camille Howard, also sang on several Milton platters, including the 1947 hit "Thrill Me," concurrently building a solo career on Specialty.
After amassing a voluminous catalog as one of Specialty's early bedrocks, Milton moved on to Dootone, King (there he cut the delectable instrumental "Succotash"), and Warwick (where he eked out a minor R&B hit in 1961, "Red Light") with notably less commercial success. Sadly, even though he helped pioneer the postwar R&B medium, rock & roll had rendered Milton an anachronism.
The drummer remained active nonetheless, thrilling the throng at the 1970 Monterey Jazz Festival as part of Johnny Otis's all-star troupe. It's a safe bet he was swinging until the very end.
© Bill Dahl /TiVo
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Discographie
32 album(s) • Trié par Meilleures ventes
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Roy Milton Vol. 3: Blowin' With Roy
Jazz - Paru chez Craft Recordings le 20 août 2021
Disponible en16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Groovy Blues, Vol. 2
Blues - Paru chez Craft Recordings le 1 janv. 1992
Disponible en16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Roy Milton And His Solid Senders
Jazz - Paru chez Craft Recordings le 1 janv. 1990
Disponible en16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Milton's Boogie
Blues - Paru chez Vision 21 OMP le 19 oct. 2009
Disponible en16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
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Instant Groove (1977) (Blues Reference)
Blues - Paru chez Disques Black & Blue le 1 janv. 2003
Disponible en16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
R. M. Blues / Best Wishes
R&B - Paru chez Warwick Records le 21 avr. 1960
Disponible en16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
The Greatest Hits, 1946 - 1961
R&B - Paru chez Jasmine Records le 8 avr. 2016
Disponible en16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Change Your Ways b/w Always Want You Around
Roy Milton, Consolidated Productions
Blues - Paru chez Numero Group le 1 janv. 1972
Disponible en24-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Specialty Profiles: Roy Milton
R&B - Paru chez Specialty le 29 août 2006
Disponible en16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Golden Selection (Remastered)
R&B - Paru chez Master Tape Records le 25 sept. 2020
Disponible en16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
The Grandfather of R&B
Soul - Paru chez Jasmine Records le 20 déc. 2012
Disponible en16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Bam-A-Lam
Mickey Champion, The Robins, The Nic Nacs, Roy Milton, Jimmy Witherspoon
Blues - Paru chez Kenzo Records le 6 janv. 2023
Disponible en16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
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Early in the Morning
Jazz - Paru chez Warwick Records le 28 juin 1960
Disponible en24-Bit/96 kHz Stereo -
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Rhythm & blues from california
Jazz - Paru chez Epm le 9 janv. 2007
Disponible en16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Red Light / So Tired
Soul - Paru chez Warwick Records le 21 avr. 1961
Disponible en16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
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The Hucklebuck
Jazz vocal - Paru chez Music Manager le 28 juill. 2015
Disponible en16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -