Monk Higgins

Monk Higgins is most beneficial known for the R&B strike instrumentals “Who all Dun It all” and “Gotta End up being Funky.” The prolific Higgins also composed a slew of music for others including Bobby Bland and something from the Chi-Lites’ first singles, “Move Move Gorilla.” A mainstay from the Chicago R&B/spirit music picture, he was a manufacturer/arranger/session participant at Chess Information through the ’60s. Higgins also caused Three Noises, Blue Mitchell, Junior Wells, Gene Harris, Muddy Waters, Freddy Robinson, and Etta Adam, amongst others. The saxman was created Milton Bland in Menifee, AR, on Oct 17, 1936. After shifting to Chicago, Higgins began doing edges for George Lerner’s One-Derful Information. Later, he started documenting for St. Lawrence Information. One of is own instrumentals for the label, the great, cool “Who Dun It,” strike amount 30 R&B through the summer months of 1966. The turn aspect was the melancholy past-midnight ballad “NOWADAYS Are FILLED UP WITH You.” While at St. Lawrence, he employed his cousin Barbara Acklin being a secretary. Higgins documented a single on her behalf beneath the name Barbara Allen for his Particular Agent label. Afterwards, Higgins utilized Acklin being a history vocalist on his Chess Information sessions. Acklin afterwards hit being a documenting musician in the summertime of 1968 with “Appreciate Makes a female.” In 1969, Higgins transferred to LA. He organized and produced serves for United Performers Information, Imperial, and Minit. The multi-talented sax participant documented several albums for United Performers. The LP Heavyweight (August 1972) included his biggest strike, “Gotta End up being Funky” (amount 22 R&B). Another UA LP, Monk Higgins (January 1973), contains “Small Mama.” On Buddah Information, Higgins documented “Dance towards the Disco Sax of Monk Higgins” (Dec 1974). He’s highlighted on the film soundtrack and Buddah LP discharge in the 1975 Pam Grier/American International film Sheba, Baby. Higgins collaborated with previous Stax Records professional Al Bell on strikes for Bobby Bland through the ’70s and ’80s. In 1983, blues musician Keb Mo became a member of his Higgins’ Whodunit Music group, adding vocals and acoustic guitar because the group performed at Los Angeles-area night clubs like Marla’s Memory space Street. Keb Mo credits his period with Higgins as the utmost important aspect in developing his knowledge of the blues. Through the ’90s, Higgins’ music continues to be sampled by several rap performers and is roofed on numerous breakbeat compilation CDs. MCA Information bought the Chess catalog within the middle-’80s from Joe and Sylvia Robinson of Sugarhill Information, reissuing many edges that feature Higgins’ efforts. Monk Higgins passed away July 3, 1986, in LA, CA.