As we approach the 15th Anniversary of the death of Stevie Ray Vaughan, we mark the passing of a blues legend who never really got the wide-spread respect and attention that he deserved. Milton Campbell (aka Little Milton) died this past week at the age of 70 following a stroke. To quote from Aaron Neville’s tribute to Stevie Ray, “Heaven done called another blues stringer back home.”

To hear a brief story on the death and life of Little Milton from NPR and a lengthy interview with Little Milton, vist the NPR page by clicking here.

Over his 50-year career, Little Milton wrote many songs that have become blues standards and classics such as the blues anthem, “The Blues is Alright” and “Little Bluebird.” He also wrote “We’re Gonna Make It”, a song that inspired me to keep going through law school when I was literally living 100% off of student loans, when food was scarce, amenities few and far between, and living in the middle of what I affectionately refer to as “Little Gang Land” in the Liberty Park area of Salt Lake City.

We’re Gonna Make It - Little Milton

We may not have a cent to pay the rent
But we’re gonna make it, I know we will
We may have to eat beans every day
But we’re gonna make it, I know we will
And if a job is hard to find
And we have to stand in the welfare line
I’ve got your love and you know you got mine
So we’re gonna make it, I know we will

We may not have a home to call our own
But we’re gonna make it, I know we will
We may have to fight hardships alone
But we’re gonna make it, I know we will
‘Cause togetherness brings peace of mind
We can’t stay down all the time
I’ve got your love and you know you got mine
So we’re gonna make it, I know we will

Our car may be old, our two rooms cold
But we’re gonna make it, I know we will
We may not can spare a roach a crumb
But we’re gonna make it, I know we will
And if I have to carry ’round a sign
Sayin’ “Help the deaf, the dumb, and the blind”
I got your love and you know you got mine
So we’re gonna make it, I know we will
We’re gonna make it

Who was Little Milton? The following biography is taken from his official website

He was born Milton Campbell in a modest sharecroppers home on the outskirts of Inverness, Mississippi, on September 7th 1934. As a child, he was drawn by a very popular radio shows of the day (and still is): The Grand Ole Opry. He found an early connection to Country and western music and later fused it with the other two predominant musical influences of the Mississippi Delta: Gospel & Blues. A youthful ?Little? Milton began studying what he heard and practiced; mastering songs and reciting them, no matter what the style or difficulty. By his early teens, he was performing in local clubs and bars across the Delta.

As Milton grew into a young man, he didn’t waste any time learning the ropes or absorbing all the musical possibilities that existed at the time. He played street corners, alleys, dives, you name it, carefully developing his craft and attracting the attention of established acts and local record labels. By the time Ike Turner introduced Milton to Sam Phillips of Sun Records in the early 50’s, he was a young but seasoned performer with a momentous live show that created a buzz in every town he played. His debut single Beggin My Baby was recorded and released at the same time Sam Phillips was molding the sound of another unknown talent from Mississippi: Elvis Presley.

After recording a series of sides at Sun without great fanfare, Milton moved to East St. Louis? Bobbin Records, where his recording career flourished. He also became Bobbin’s A&R chief and working partner to its owner, Bob Lyons. During this era, Milton signed such artists as Albert King and Fontella Bass to the label. Most importantly, he cut his own first hit, I’m A Lonely Man, in 1958.

Milton’s skyrocketing success soon drew the attention of Chess Records executives in Chicago, who signed him to Chess Checkers label and moved him north. Chess carried Little Milton from southern blues circuit fame to the national spotlight and to white audiences. Milton’s recordings realized only moderate chart success, until he cut We’re Gonna Make It, which hit No. 1 on Billboard magazines R&B singles chart in 1965. On the Checker label, he registered hits from 1962 through 1971 that would become American blues classics and staples of his live shows. His Checker recordings included Baby I Love You, If Walls Could Talk, Feel So Bad, Who’s Cheating Who? and the unforgettable Grits Ain’t Groceries. After the death of label founder Leonard Chess in 1969, the company eventually dissolved and Milton signed with Stax.

At Stax, he joined a virtual who?s who of influential black recording artist of the day including Isaac Hayes, Rufus & Carla Thomas, Booker T. & The M.G.’s, Albert King and, coincidentally, another future Malaco star, the late Johnnie Taylor. Milton?s legend only grew at Stax, where from 1971 through 1975, he stacked up more mega hits?including Walking The Back Streets and Cryin and That?s What Love Will Make You Do.

When Stax filed bankruptcy in 1975, Milton joined TK/Glades Records in Miami, then home to such artist as Betty Wright, K. C. & The Sunshine Band and Latimore. There, he racked up another charted hit, Friend of Mine. But the Glade label also went out of business. Consequently, in 1983, he released his only album for MCA, Age Ain’t Nothin But A Number. The title cut was an instant-charted hit.

In 1984, Little Milton united with Malaco Records and began the longest professional association of his career. He continued his exceptional vocal and guitar styles and quickly became one of Malaco’s biggest selling artists. He swept up such honors as the 1988 W. C. Handy Blues Entertainer of the Year Award and the 2000 Grammy award nomination. He also was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame.

Over the years, Malaco has released 14 of Little Milton’s albums, including the critically acclaimed, Billboard blues smash hit Cheatin Habit. Cheatin Habit followed his wildly successful Little Milton’s Greatest Hits compilation. Some of Little Milton’s Malaco cuts that have become American blues standards include Annie Mae’s Cafe, The Blues is Alright, Little Bluebird, Room 244, I Was Trying Not to Break Down, Catch You on Your Way Down, Murder on Your Hands, and Comeback Kind of Love.

The year 2001 marked a successful run of sold out shows in the United States and Europe and the release of Feel It. Malaco doubled back in September, 2002, with the release CD number 14, Guitar Man. It’s celebrated cuts include Guitar Man, Still Some Meat Left on this Bone, and Milton’s soulful rendition of My Way.

Little Milton will be missed.

My thanks to Joseph Steinberg for drawing my attention not only to the NPR page, but to the fact that Little Milton had passed on.