One of the great artists who effortlessly adapted the blues form to the influence of soul in many of his recordings, he easily straddles both camps, but his guitar playing certainly keeps him within the blues spectrum. One of my favourites, probably because he was/is an R&B; vocal stylist in the mould of my all time hero Bobby 'Blue' Bland. He recorded several well known compositions for Checker, including 'Who's Cheating Who?', 'Grits Ain't Groceries' and 'We're Gonna Make It'. He also recorded compositions made famous by other artists, such as 'Sweet Sixteen' (B.B. King), 'Stormy Monday' (T-Bone Walker) and 'Blind Man' (Bobby Bland) which, it has to be said, were every bit as strong as the originals. He proved himself capable of writing a good blues song as well, penning and recording 'Life Is Like That'. There is a Chess Double CD compilation around called "Welcome To The Club - The Essential Chess Recordings" but also in the UK (not necessarily easy to find) is the Charly R&B; Masters Vol.17 CD "Little Milton - Tending His Roots" (CDRB 17) which is an excellent 20 track overview and is a heartily recommended purchase. If none of those are available, you can get the import "Greatest Hits" (available at Amazon.co.uk) or the "Complete Checker Hit Singles" which is available at a bargain price

He signed with Stax in 1971 and utilised the label's R&B; pedigree to the full with the addition of strings and Memphis Horns to his recordings. Although he hit the charts again, most notably with the excellent 'That's What Love Will Do' he did embark on one or two ill advised musical shifts (some would say abominations!) when he released a series of funk recordings which did him no justice. The Stax album "Blues 'n Soul" is however well worth the entrance fee. There are a number of ways to get hold of the Stax stuff, and the Primer would recommend the "Tin Pan Alley" compilation and "Walking The Back Streets" as well as Blues 'n Soul

Since 1984, he has been recording with Malaco, where sympathetic production has given us some excellent blues edged material, including "Back To Back" in 1988 and "Too Much Pain" in 1990.
The Malaco sets could be classed as too mellow and polished for their own good. I don't subscribe to that view but if you prefer your blues raw edged and traditional, they might not be for you. If you like the blues mixed in with a wealth of other influences, especially the soul vocalist tradition, they are unhesitatingly recommended. The 1999 release "Welcome To Little Milton" finds Milton in the company of a number of guests such as Lucinda Williams, Peter Wolf, Government Mule, Keb' Mo', Delbert McClinton and others. Everone seems to be having a great time and the album is a thoroughly enjoyable if non essential purchase.

Sadly, the man who made 'The Blues Is Alright' a national anthem with blues enthusiasts around the globe passed away on August 4, 2005 after suffering a massive strokeon the 27th July.