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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Diskografie
48 Album, -en • Geordnet nach Bestseller
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Roy Milton Vol. 3: Blowin' With Roy
Jazz - Erschienen bei Craft Recordings am 20.08.2021
Verfügbar in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Groovy Blues, Vol. 2
Blues - Erschienen bei Craft Recordings am 01.01.1992
Verfügbar in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Roy Milton And His Solid Senders
Jazz - Erschienen bei Craft Recordings am 01.01.1990
Verfügbar in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Milton's Boogie
Blues - Erschienen bei Vision 21 OMP am 19.10.2009
Verfügbar in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
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Instant Groove (1977) (Blues Reference)
Blues - Erschienen bei Disques Black & Blue am 01.01.2003
Verfügbar in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
R. M. Blues / Best Wishes
R&B - Erschienen bei Warwick Records am 21.04.1960
Verfügbar in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
The Greatest Hits, 1946 - 1961
R&B - Erschienen bei Jasmine Records am 08.04.2016
Verfügbar in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Change Your Ways b/w Always Want You Around
Roy Milton, Consolidated Productions
Blues - Erschienen bei Numero Group am 01.01.1972
Verfügbar in24-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Specialty Profiles: Roy Milton
R&B - Erschienen bei Specialty am 29.08.2006
Verfügbar in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Specialty Profiles: Roy Milton
Jazz - Erschienen bei Concord Records am 29.08.2006
Verfügbar in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Early in the Morning
Jazz - Erschienen bei Warwick Records am 28.06.1960
Verfügbar in24-Bit/96 kHz Stereo -
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Rhythm & blues from california
Jazz - Erschienen bei EPM am 09.01.2007
Verfügbar in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
The Grandfather of R&B
Soul - Erschienen bei Jasmine Records am 20.12.2012
Verfügbar in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Bam-A-Lam
Mickey Champion, The Robins, The Nic Nacs, Roy Milton, Jimmy Witherspoon
Blues - Erschienen bei Kenzo Records am 06.01.2023
Verfügbar in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
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All The Best
Soul - Erschienen bei Retro Music Box am 24.12.2019
Verfügbar in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Red Light / So Tired
Soul - Erschienen bei Warwick Records am 21.04.1961
Verfügbar in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Sugar In My Tea (Cream In My Coffee) (Blues Shouter - Recordings of 1960 - 1962)
Jimmy Liggins, Roy Milton, Jimmy Witherspoon
Blues - Erschienen bei Blues Classics am 17.12.2022
Verfügbar in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Golden Selection (Remastered)
R&B - Erschienen bei Master Tape Records am 25.09.2020
Verfügbar in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo