Roy Milton

Roy Milton

Roy 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 a Chickasaw. He was born in Wynnewood, Oklahoma, United States,[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]

Moving to Los Angeles, California, 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 No. 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" (# 3 R&B, 1948), "Information Blues" (# 2 R&B, 1950), and "Best Wishes" (# 2 R&B, 1951). He left Specialty in 1955. However, releases on other labels were unsuccessful, and the development of rock and roll had rendered him something of an anachronism by the middle of the decade.[4]

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

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

Side-note: His song, "Reelin' And Rockin'" was covered on the 1996 release Jump Shot! by the group, Rocket Sixty-Nine.

Discography

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

LP/CD releases of note

[these 3 volumes include material that Roy and his band recorded for the Specialty label between 1947 and 1953, plus the 4 earlier recordings he made for Juke Box Records in 1945.]

[a various artists label sampler/overview that includes all of Roy's Dootone material.]

[includes Roy's 4 Hamp-Tone recordings, his 4 Juke Box recordings, and the numerous recordings he made for his own Roy Milton and Miltone labels before he signed with Specialty Records in 1947.]

[1946-1948 recordings from Roy's own specialty labels: Roy Milton, Miltone, Ace, and Foto, featuring various vocalists/artists with backing by Roy and his band-mates; also includes outside source material licensed from DeLuxe Records and distributed by Miltone.]

Note: Roy recorded for several small labels; all known releases are listed.[6]

References

  1. 1 2 Du Noyer, Paul (2003). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Music (1st ed.). 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: Praeger Publishers. p. 340. ISBN 978-0313344237.
  3. 1 2 3 Doc Rock. "The 1980s". The Dead Rock Stars Club. Retrieved 2015-10-05.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Russell, Tony (1997). The Blues - From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray. Dubai: Carlton Books Limited. 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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