Amos Milburn

Biography

Boogie piano master Amos Milburn was born in Houston, and he died there a short 52 years later. In between, he pounded out some of the most hellacious boogies of the postwar era, usually recording in Los Angeles for Aladdin Records and specializing in good-natured upbeat romps about booze and its effects (both positive and negative) that proved massive hits during the immediate pre-rock era.

The self-taught 88s ace made a name for himself as "the He-Man Martha Raye" around Houston before joining the Navy and seeing overseas battle action in World War II. When he came out of the service, Milburn played in various Lone Star niteries before meeting the woman whose efforts would catapult him to stardom.

Persistent manager Lola Anne Cullum reportedly barged into Aladdin boss Eddie Mesner's hospital room, toting a portable disc machine with Milburn's demo all cued up. The gambit worked — Milburn signed with Aladdin in 1946. His first date included a thundering "Down the Road Apiece" that presaged the imminent rise of rock & roll. But Milburn was capable of subtler charms too, crooning mellow blues ballads in a Charles Brown-influenced style (the two would later become close friends, playing together frequently).

The first of Milburn's 19 Top Ten R&B smashes came in 1948 with his party classic "Chicken Shack Boogie," which paced the charts and anointed his band with a worthy name (the Aladdin Chickenshackers, natch). A velvet-smooth "Bewildered" displayed the cool after-hours side of Milburn's persona as it streaked up the charts later that year, but it was rollicking horn-driven material such as "Roomin' House Boogie" and "Sax Shack Boogie" that Milburn was renowned for. Milburn's rumbling 88s influenced a variety of famous artists, notably Fats Domino.

With the ascent of "Bad, Bad Whiskey" to the peak of the charts in 1950, Milburn embarked on a string of similarly boozy smashes: "Thinking and Drinking," "Let Me Go Home Whiskey," "One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer" (an inebriating round John Lee Hooker apparently enjoyed!), and "Good Good Whiskey" (his last hit in 1954). Alcoholism later brought the pianist down hard, giving these numbers a grimly ironic twist in retrospect. Milburn's national profile rated a series of appearances on the Willie Bryant-hosted mid-'50s TV program Showtime at the Apollo (where he gave out with a blistering "Down the Road Apiece").

Aladdin stuck with Milburn long after the hits ceased, dispatching him to New Orleans in 1956 to record with the vaunted studio crew at Cosimo's. There he recut "Chicken Shack Boogie" in a manner so torrid that it's impossible to believe it didn't hit (tenor saxist Lee Allen and drummer Charles "Hungry" Williams blast with atomic power as Milburn happily grunts along with his pounding boogie piano solo). In 1957, he left Aladdin for good.

Milburn contributed a fine offering to the R&B Yuletide canon in 1960 with his swinging "Christmas (Comes but Once a Year)" for King. Berry Gordy gave him a comeback forum in 1962, issuing an album on Motown predominated by remakes of his old hits that doesn't deserve its extreme rarity today (even Little Stevie Wonder pitched in on harp for the sessions).

Nothing could jump start the pianist's fading career by then, though. His health deteriorated to the point where a string of strokes limited his mobility and his left leg was eventually amputated. Not too long after, one of the greatest pioneers in the history of R&B was dead.

Bill Dahl (Allmusic Guide)

Discography

Aladdin Records

159 - After Midnight/Amos' Blues - 1946

160 - My Baby's Boogin'/Darling How Long - 1946

161 - Down The Road A Piece/Don't Beg Me - 1946

173 - Amos' Boogie/Everything I Do Is Wrong - 1946

174 - Operation Boogie (Blues)/Cinch Blues - 1946

191 - Money Hustlin' Woman/Real Gone - 1947

201 - My Love Is Limited/Blues At Sundown - 1947

202 - Sad And Blue/That's My Chick - 1947

206 - Train Time Blues/Bye Bye Boogie - 1947

211 - I Still Love You/Pool Playing Blues - 1947

3014 - Chicken Shack Boogie/It Took A Long, Long Time - 1947

3018 - Bewildered/A & M Blues - 1947

3023 - Hold Me Baby/Jitterbug Parade - 1949

3026 - In The Middle Of The Night/Pot Luck Boogie - 1949

3032 - Rooming House Boogie/Empty Arms Blues - 1949

3037 - Let's Make Christmas Merry Baby/Bow Wow - 1949

3038 - Real Pretty Mama/Drifting Blues - 1949

3043 - I'm Just A Fool In Love/How Long Has This Train Been Gone - 1950

3049 - Walkin' Blues/Johnson Rag - 1950

3056 - Square Dance Boogie/Anybody's Blues - 1950

3058 - I Love Her/Birmingham Bounce - 1950

3059 - Hard Luck Blues/Ten Years Of Fortune - 1950

3054 - Sax Shack Boogie/Remember - 1950

3068 - Bad Bad Whiskey/I'm Going To Tell My Mama - 1950

3080 - Let's Rock A While/Tears, Tears, Tears - 1951

3090 - Everybody Clap Hands/That Was Your Last Mistake - 1951

3093 - Ain't Nothin' Shaking/Just One More Drink - 1951

3105 - She's Gone Again/Boogie Woogie - 1951

3124 - Thinkin' And Drinkin'/Trouble In Mind - 1952

3125 - Put Something In My Hand/Flying Home - 1952

3133 - Roll Mr. Jelly/I Won't Be Your Fool Any More - 1952

3146 - Button Your Lip/Everything I Do Is Wrong - 1952

3150 - Greyhound/Kiss Me Again - 1952

3159 - Rock, Rock, Rock/Boo Hoo - 1952
3164 - Let Me Go Home Whiskey/Three Times A Fool - 1953

3168 - Long, Long Day/Please Mr. Johnson - 1953

3197 - One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer/What Can I Do - 1953

3218 - Good, Good Whiskey/Let's Have A Party - 1953

3226 - How Could You Hurt Me So/Rocky Mountain - 1954

3240 - Milk And Water/I'm Still A Fool For You - 1954

3248 - Baby, Baby All The Time/Glory Of Love - 1954

3253 - Vicious, Vicious, Vodka/l Done, Done It - 1954

3269 - One, Two, Three Everybody/That's It - 1954

3281 - Why Don't You Do Right/I Love You Anyway - 1955

3293 - All Is Well/My Happiness Depends On You - 1955

3306 - House Party/I Guess I'll Go - 1955

3320 - French Fried Potatoes And Ketchup/I Need Someone - 1956

3332 - Juice, Juice, Juice/Chicken Shack Boogie - 1956

3340 - Everyday Of The Week/Girl Of My Dreams - 1956

3363 - Rum And Coca-Cola/Soft Pillow - 1957

3370 - Greyhound/Dear Angel - 1957

3383 - Thinking Of You Baby/If I Could Be With You - 1957
Ace Records

561 - w Charles Brown - I Want To Go Home/Educated Fool - 1959

King Records

5405 – w Charles Brown - Christmas Comes But Once A Year/Please Come Home For Christmas - 1960

5464 - w Charles Brown - I Wanna Go Back Home/My Little Baby - 1961

5483 - My Sweet Baby's Love/Heartaches That Make You Cry - 1961

5529 - Movin' Time/The Hammer - 1961
Imperial Records 
5831 - I'm Still A Fool For You/Rocky Mountain - 1962

Motown Records

1038 - I'll Make It Up To You Somehow/My Baby Gave Me Another Chance - 1963