Roy Milton • Reelin' and Rockin' with Roy

Artist Biography

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.

by Bill Dahl

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Biografía del artista

Como baterista de bolsillo de su propio combo de jump blues, los Solid Senders, Roy Milton estaba en una posición perfecta para manejar su equipo tan duro o suave como él lo deseaba. Con su sentido estelar del swing, Milton hizo justo eso; su constante ritmo en su single de 1946 para el incipiente sello Juke Box de Art Rupe, "R.M. Blues", ayudó a llevarlo a los primeros puestos de las listas de R&B (su segura voz tampoco le hizo daño).

Milton pasó sus primeros años en una reserva india en Oklahoma (su abuela materna era nativa americana) antes de trasladarse a Tulsa. Cantó con la banda territorial de Ernie Fields a finales de los años 20 y empezó a tocar la batería cuando el habitual tramposo de la banda fue arrestado una fatídica noche. Con ganas de dejar Fields en 1933, Milton se dirigió al oeste, a Los Ángeles, y formó los Solid Senders. 1945 fue un gran año para él -- junto con la firma con Juke Box (pronto rebautizada como Specialty), la banda filmó tres soundies con la cantante June Richmond.

"R.M. Blues" se vendió tanto que estableció a Specialty como una preocupación viable a largo plazo. Rupe supo algo bueno cuando lo vio, grabando a Milton a principios y a menudo hasta 1953. Fue recompensado con 19 éxitos del Top Ten de R&B de los Solid Senders, incluyendo "Milton's Boogie", "True Blues", "Hop, Skip and Jump", "Information Blues", "Oh Babe" (una tórrida portada del salto de Louis Prima), y "Best Wishes". La especialista residente de piano boogie de Milton, Camille Howard, también cantó en varias placas de Milton, incluyendo el éxito de 1947 "Thrill Me", construyendo al mismo tiempo una carrera en solitario en Specialty.

Tras acumular un voluminoso catálogo como uno de los primeros cimientos de Specialty, Milton pasó a Dootone, King (donde cortó el delicioso instrumental "Succotash") y Warwick (donde obtuvo un éxito menor de R&B en 1961, "Red Light") con notablemente menos éxito comercial. Tristemente, aunque ayudó a pioneros en el medio del R&B de la posguerra, el rock & roll había convertido a Milton en un anacronismo.

El baterista permaneció activo, sin embargo, emocionando a la multitud en el Festival de Jazz de Monterrey de 1970 como parte de la compañía de estrellas de Johnny Otis. Es una apuesta segura que se balanceó hasta el final.

por Bill Dahl

Tracks:
1. Baby, Don't Do That To Me (Specialty 545)
2. Tell It Like It Is (Specialty 538)
3. Fools Are Getting Scarcer (Dootone 363)
4. I Can't Go On (Dootone 363)
5. You Got Me Reelin' & Rockin' (Dootone 369)
6. One Zippy Zam (King 4993)
7. A Brand New Thrill (King 5074)
8. Jeep's Blues (King 5074)
9. Driveway Blues (Thunderbird 104)
10. I'm Forgetting About You (Thunderbird 104)
[gracias/thanks Be Bop Wino blog]

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