Folklore center benefit features Little Milton

Legendary Chess and Stax rhythm and blues singer Little Milton will perform two benefit shows on July 10 to help the Center for Southern Folklore.

Little Milton, a frequent visitor to the center, got his start as a young entertainer playing honkytonks and local juke joints around Greenville, Miss., and in Helena, Ark. While working at venues around Memphis, Little Milton met Sun Records owner Sam Phillips, who signed him to the renowned Memphis label in 1953. Little Milton found great success on the Chicago-based Chess label, recording several popular songs in the 1960s. He signed with Stax in 1971, where he scored a country hit with "Behind Closed Doors."

In 1997, Little Milton won the Pioneer Award from the Rhythm & Blues Foundation, and on April 30 of this year, Little Milton received the 1998 Handy Award for best Soul/Blues Male Artist of the Year. His newest CD, titled Little Milton for Real, was released in May on the Jackson, Miss.-based Malaco label.

The concerts will be at 8 and 10 p.m. at the New Daisy Theatre. CDA Inc. is a co-sponsor of the concert.

According to Judy Peiser, executive director of the center, the early show is being billed a "ladies only" performance and is $10. The second show will feature special guests Blind Mississippi Morris and the Daddy Mack Blues Band. Tickets for the 10 p.m. show are $15 in advance and $18 at the door. A $25 Golden Circle ticket may be purchased that includes reserved concert seating and admission to a private, post-concert party at the center honoring Little Milton.

Peiser notes this type of high-profile fund-raiser is the first of its kind for the center. "We think it's very important that people like Little Milton are showing their support for the center," Peiser says. "We are in constant operation and it becomes very expensive. To continue to do what we do, we need support.

"This event will hopefully lead to future fund-raisers and future memberships. We want the center to become another vehicle for teachers and other members of the community to gain insight from and pass it along to others."

She adds the revenue raised from the event will enable the center to continue its mission of promoting the arts. The center is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the folk arts through community events, educational programs and documentation such as videos and recordings. The center also hosts the annual Memphis Music & Heritage Festival.

"The center has an amazing amount of materials that help showcase Southern life," Peiser says. "We would use the extra money to purchase such things as photographic books, folk art drawings and CDs, which would educate our visitors to our culture and our way of life."

Peiser anticipates a combined crowd of nearly 1,500 will attend the two shows. Tickets are available at all Boss Ugly Bob's Record and Stereo Centers, the New Daisy Theatre and the Center for Southern Folklore.

For tickets or additional information, contact the Center for Southern Folklore at (901) 525-3655.