Biography
Monk Higgins gained recognition through his R&B instrumental successes “Who Dun It” and “Gotta Be Funky.” Beyond those recordings, the versatile musician supplied material to numerous performers, among them Bobby Bland and the Chi-Lites, whose early single “Go Go Gorilla” originated from his pen. Deeply embedded in Chicago’s R&B and soul community, he served as producer, arranger, and session musician for Chess Records throughout the 1960s.
Additional partnerships linked him to Three Sounds, Blue Mitchell, Junior Wells, Gene Harris, Muddy Waters, Freddy Robinson, and Etta James. Born Milton Bland on 17 October 1936 in Menifee, Arkansas, Higgins relocated to Chicago and began cutting sides for George Lerner’s One-Derful Records before moving to St. Lawrence Records. There he released the cool, funky instrumental “Who Dun It,” which reached number 30 on the R&B chart in summer 1966; its B-side was the reflective late-night ballad “These Days Are Filled With You.”
While employed at St. Lawrence, Higgins brought his cousin Barbara Acklin onto the staff as a secretary and issued a single by her under the name Barbara Allen on his own Special Agent imprint. He later employed Acklin as a backing vocalist on Chess sessions, and she achieved her own breakthrough in summer 1968 with “Love Makes a Woman.”
Higgins relocated to Los Angeles in 1969, where he arranged and produced for United Artists Records, Imperial, and Minit. For United Artists he also cut several albums; the August 1972 LP Heavyweight yielded his largest hit, “Gotta Be Funky,” which peaked at number 22 R&B, while the January 1973 album Monk Higgins contained the track “Little Mama.” On Buddah he issued Dance to the Disco Sax of Monk Higgins in December 1974 and appeared on the label’s soundtrack album for the 1975 Pam Grier film Sheba, Baby. During the 1970s and 1980s he teamed with former Stax executive Al Bell to create hits for Bobby Bland.
In 1983 blues artist Keb Mo joined Higgins’ Whodunit Band, supplying vocals and guitar for club dates at venues such as Marla’s Memory Lane in Los Angeles; Keb Mo has cited that period as crucial to his grasp of blues expression. Throughout the 1990s, Higgins’ recordings were sampled by numerous rap acts and featured on various breakbeat compilations. After MCA acquired the Chess catalog from Joe and Sylvia Robinson of Sugarhill Records in the mid-1980s, many of those sides highlighting his contributions were reissued. Monk Higgins died in Los Angeles on 3 July 1986.
Additional partnerships linked him to Three Sounds, Blue Mitchell, Junior Wells, Gene Harris, Muddy Waters, Freddy Robinson, and Etta James. Born Milton Bland on 17 October 1936 in Menifee, Arkansas, Higgins relocated to Chicago and began cutting sides for George Lerner’s One-Derful Records before moving to St. Lawrence Records. There he released the cool, funky instrumental “Who Dun It,” which reached number 30 on the R&B chart in summer 1966; its B-side was the reflective late-night ballad “These Days Are Filled With You.”
While employed at St. Lawrence, Higgins brought his cousin Barbara Acklin onto the staff as a secretary and issued a single by her under the name Barbara Allen on his own Special Agent imprint. He later employed Acklin as a backing vocalist on Chess sessions, and she achieved her own breakthrough in summer 1968 with “Love Makes a Woman.”
Higgins relocated to Los Angeles in 1969, where he arranged and produced for United Artists Records, Imperial, and Minit. For United Artists he also cut several albums; the August 1972 LP Heavyweight yielded his largest hit, “Gotta Be Funky,” which peaked at number 22 R&B, while the January 1973 album Monk Higgins contained the track “Little Mama.” On Buddah he issued Dance to the Disco Sax of Monk Higgins in December 1974 and appeared on the label’s soundtrack album for the 1975 Pam Grier film Sheba, Baby. During the 1970s and 1980s he teamed with former Stax executive Al Bell to create hits for Bobby Bland.
In 1983 blues artist Keb Mo joined Higgins’ Whodunit Band, supplying vocals and guitar for club dates at venues such as Marla’s Memory Lane in Los Angeles; Keb Mo has cited that period as crucial to his grasp of blues expression. Throughout the 1990s, Higgins’ recordings were sampled by numerous rap acts and featured on various breakbeat compilations. After MCA acquired the Chess catalog from Joe and Sylvia Robinson of Sugarhill Records in the mid-1980s, many of those sides highlighting his contributions were reissued. Monk Higgins died in Los Angeles on 3 July 1986.
Albums
Singles
