Jackson Free Press

VETERAN BLUESMAN LITTLE MILTON TO PERFORM AT BRANCH HILLS BLUES FEST. Little Milton will preview his debut Telarc release, Think of Me live at The Branch Hills Blues Festival on Saturday, May 28th. Music starts at 5pm. Tickets are priced at $21 (advance) / $25 (day of show). The Branch Hills Blues Festival will be held at McIntosh Farms in Dekalb, MS. For more

Since his earliest recordings on Sam Phillips' legendary Sun Records in the 1950s, "Little Milton" Campbell has been an innovator. When other blues artists of his generation were content to churn out formulaic 12-bar blues tracks during the post-World War II heyday of urban blues, he was taking the music to a new place by injecting elements of gospel, soul, R&B and even shades of country music. His contributions paved the way for the hybrid sound that later came to be known as soul blues, and his widely covered "The Blues Is Alright" has become an anthem in clubs, juke joints and festival stages everywhere.

A half-century after those early Sun recordings, Little Milton is still exploring new combinations and coming up with fresh sounds. He makes his debut on the Telarc label with the May 24, 2005, release of Think of Me (CD-83618), a dozen tracks that distill a lifetime of rich guitar skills, compelling vocals and deft songwriting into a single, high-powered
package.

His throaty tenor is one of the most recognizable in the blues, according to the liner notes by Art Tipaldi, senior writer for Blues Revue and author of Children of the Blues. His eloquent single-string guitar work is born from growing up deep in the Mississippi Delta. Other than B.B. King, no one is as honored in the world of blues as Little Milton.

"I write about everyday life" not necessarily my own experiences, but experiences I see around me," says Milton. "I'm an observer, and my eyes and ears are open. I pay attention to people. I think you can get a great story just from observing."

Little Milton has been recording his observations on some of the finest "even if not the most widely trumpeted " blues recordings of the past half-century. Through it all, he has remained committed to making the most honest and universal music on record, and that commitment is fully realized on Think of Me.

"As long as people perform the blues from the bottom of their heart and soul, I think there will always be a market for it," he says. It makes no difference if you're white, black, blue or green. The music doesn't belong to just one race of people. It belongs to anybody who feels it, enjoys it and respects it.

Little Milton's Think of Me (CD-83618) is due at retail on May 24, 2005.