Roy Milton

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 <a href="spotify:artist:4hGOBEZol2IU38LFZluW7K">Ernie Fields</a>'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 <a href="spotify:artist:4hGOBEZol2IU38LFZluW7K">Fields</a> 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 <a href="spotify:artist:2AhUqIay31KhjwEtOk6ZpP">June Richmond</a>.

"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 <a href="spotify:artist:52lBOxCxbJg0ttXEW9CQpW">Louis Prima</a>'s jivey jump), and "Best Wishes." Milton's resident boogie piano specialist, <a href="spotify:artist:0QFOmSTku0zPMVoawXFCXX">Camille Howard</a>, 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 <a href="spotify:artist:5PGt6fQNjLKhYYeGLWKWcM">Johnny Otis</a>'s all-star troupe. It's a safe bet he was swinging until the very end. ~ Bill Dahl, Rovi