James Milton Bland (1930 - 1986)

Born 3 Oct 1930 in Menifee, Conway, Arkansas, United States

Husband of Jeanette Malissa (Bryant) Bland — married 1 Jun 1954 in Faulkner, Arkansas, United States

Died 3 Jul 1986 at age 55 in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States

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Biography

Milton Bland is Notable.

Monk Higgins, whose real name was James Milton Bland, was a notable American musician and saxophonist. He is best known for his R&B hit instrumentals “Who Dun It” and "Gotta Be Funky". Higgins was also a prolific songwriter, writing songs for other artists such as Bobby Bland and the Chi-Lites. He worked with a variety of musicians including Gene Harris, Junior Wells, Muddy Waters, Freddy Robinson, and Etta James.

James Milton Bland, also known as Monk Higgins, was an American musician and saxophonist born on October 3, 1930, in Menifee, Conway County, Arkansas.^[1] He was the son of Jay T Bland and Almatine Higgins.^[2] He lived in Pine Bluff, Jefferson County, Arkansas in 1950^[3] and in Indiana before 1951. He married Jeanette Malissa Bryant on June 1, 1954, in Faulkner County, Arkansas.^[4] He was widely recognized as Monk Higgins and had several hits in the genres of R&B, blues, crossover and jazz. He worked with many famous musicians such as Bobby Bland, Etta James and Muddy Waters.^[1]

He died from respiratory disease on July 3, 1986, in Los Angeles County, California, at the age of 55, and was buried in Inglewood, Los Angeles County, California.^[5][6][1]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} Wikipedia Contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, last edited on 12 Apr 2023. "Monk Higgins." Accessed 10 May 2023.
2. ↑ U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007: Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. Original data: Social Security Applications and Claims, 1936-2007. Ancestry Record 60901 #20251986
3. ↑ 1950 United States Federal Census: United States of America, Bureau of the Census; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790-2007; Record Group Number: 29; Residence Date: 1950; Home in 1950: Pine Bluff, Jefferson, Arkansas; Roll: 1010; Sheet Number: 1a; Enumeration District: 35-59B Ancestry Record 62308 #31862075
4. ↑ Arkansas, Marriage Certificates, 1917-1972: Arkansas Department of Vital Records; Little Rock, Arkansas; Marriage Certificates; Year: 1954; Film: #2 Ancestry Record 61775 #1264651
5. ↑ California, U.S., Death Index, 1940-1997: Place: Los Angeles; Date: 3 Jul 1986; Social Security: 305309594 Ancestry Record 5180 #652590
6. ↑ Burial: Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/18669297/milton_%22monk_higgins%22-bland: accessed 10 May 2023), memorial page for Milton "Monk Higgins" Bland (3 Oct 1930–3 Jul 1986), Find A Grave: Memorial #18669297, citing Inglewood Park Cemetery, Inglewood, Los Angeles County, California, USA; Maintained by Kris 'Peterborough K' Peterson (contributor 46537737).