Milton Bland (October 3, 1930 – July 3, 1986) better known as Monk Higgins, was an American

musician A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who w ...

and

saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...

who was born in

Menifee, Arkansas Menifee is a town in Conway County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 302 at the 2010 census. Geography Menifee is located in southeastern Conway County at (35.148602, −92.553318). U.S. Route 64 passes through the center of the tow ...

Biography

Higgins's biggest

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * '' H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album s ...

were the

instrumental An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to instr ...

tracks "Who Dun It" (which reached #30 on the US

R&B chart The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

in 1966), and "Gotta Be Funky" (#22 on the US R&B chart). His instrumental "Ceatrix Did It" (1967) was the sign-off song for soul DJ Dr Rock on WMPP, East Chicago Heights, Illinois. Higgins worked with a variety of musicians including

Gene Harris Gene Harris (born Eugene Haire, September 1, 1933 – January 16, 2000) was an American jazz pianist known for his warm sound and blues and gospel infused style that is known as soul jazz. From 1956 to 1970, he played in The Three Sounds tr ...

Bobby Bland Robert Calvin Bland (born Robert Calvin Brooks; January 27, 1930 – June 23, 2013), known professionally as Bobby "Blue" Bland, was an American blues singer. Bland developed a sound that mixed gospel with the blues and R&B. He was des ...

The Chi-Lites The Chi-Lites (, ) are an American R&B/soul vocal quartet from Chicago, Illinois, United States. Forming at Chicago's Hyde Park High School in 1959, The group's original lineup consisted of singers Robert Lester, Eugene Record, Creadel Jone ...

Junior Wells Junior Wells (born Amos Wells Blakemore Jr., December 9, 1934January 15, 1998) was an American singer, harmonica player, and recording artist. He is best known for his signature song " Messin' with the Kid" and his 1965 album '' Hoodoo Man Blues ...

, Freddy Robinson,

Muddy Waters McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913 April 30, 1983), known professionally as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer and musician who was an important figure in the post- war blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of modern Chicag ...

, Cash McCall,

Etta James Jamesetta Hawkins (January 25, 1938 – January 20, 2012), known professionally as Etta James, was an American singer who performed in various genres, including gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, rock and roll, and soul. Starting her career in 1954, ...

Blue Mitchell Richard Allen "Blue" Mitchell (March 13, 1930 – May 21, 1979) was an American trumpeter and composer who worked in jazz, rhythm and blues, soul, rock and funk. He recorded albums as leader and sideman for Riverside, Mainstream Records, and ...

and

The Three Sounds The Three Sounds (also known as The 3 Sounds) were an American jazz piano trio that formed in 1956 and disbanded in 1973. The band formed in Benton Harbor, Michigan, United States, as the Four Sounds. The original line-up consisted of Gene Harr ...

. His track "One Man Band (Plays All Alone)" was featured on the

breakbeat Breakbeat is a broad type of electronic music that tends to use drum breaks sampled from early recordings of funk, jazz, and R&B. Breakbeats have been used in styles such as hip hop, jungle, drum and bass, big beat, breakbeat hardcore, and ...

compilation album, ''

Ultimate Breaks and Beats ''Ultimate Breaks and Beats'' (also commonly abbreviated as UBB) was a series of 25 compilation albums released from 1986 to 1991 by Street Beat Records edited by "BreakBeat Lou" Flores. Featured on the albums were tracks from 1966 to 1984 that ...

''. Late in his career, Higgins performed with his band The Specialties as the featured artists at the television

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lit ...

Marla Gibbs Marla Gibbs (born Margaret Theresa Bradley; June 14, 1931) is an American actress, singer, comedian, writer and television producer, whose career spans six decades. Gibbs is known for her role as George Jefferson's maid, Florence Johnston, in t ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

supper club, known as Marla's Memory Lane Club. Higgins died from

respiratory disease Respiratory diseases, or lung diseases, are pathological conditions affecting the organs and tissues that make gas exchange difficult in air-breathing animals. They include conditions of the respiratory tract including the trachea, bronchi, ...

in July 1986, in Los Angeles, at the age of 55.

Discography

As leader

* ''

Extra Soul Perception ''Extra Soul Perception'' is an album by saxophonist Monk Higgins recorded in 1968 and released on the Solid State label.Payne, D.Monk Higgins discographyaccessed July 26, 2017 Track listing All compositions by Monk Higgins except where note ...

'' (

Solid State Solid state, or solid matter, is one of the four fundamental states of matter. Solid state may also refer to: Electronics * Solid-state electronics, circuits built of solid materials * Solid state ionics, study of ionic conductors and their u ...

) (1969) * ''Heavyweight'' (

United Artists United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the stu ...

) (1972) * ''Little Mama'' (United Artists) (1972) * ''Dance to the Disco Sax'' (

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in ...

) (1974) * ''Live in MacArthur Park'' (Buddha) (1975)

As sideman

With

*''

Collision in Black ''Collision in Black'' is an album by American trumpeter Blue Mitchell which features compositions and arrangements by Monk Higgins recorded in 1968 and released on the Blue Note label in 1969.

'' (1968) *''

Bantu Village ''Bantu Village'' is an album by American trumpeter Blue Mitchell which features arrangements by Monk Higgins recorded and released on the Blue Note label in 1969.

'' (1969) With

*'' Elegant Soul'' (1968) *'' Soul Symphony'' (1969) With

*'' The 3 Sounds'' (1971)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Higgins, Monk 1936 births 1986 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American saxophonists American funk saxophonists American male saxophonists Record producers from Arkansas American rhythm and blues musicians Chess Records artists Respiratory disease deaths in California People from Conway County, Arkansas 20th-century American male musicians

Biography

Discography

As leader

As sideman

See also

References