“Little” Milton passed away

Blues singer, songwriter and guitarist "Little" Milton Campbell, whose gritty vocals and songwriting recalled B.B. King's rough-edged style, died on Thursday from a stroke.

The 71-year-old Grammy-nominated guitarist and singer known for writing and recording the blues anthem "The Blues Is Alright" never awoke from a coma following a stroke he suffered on July 27 in Memphis, said Valarie Kashimura of The Malaco Music Group.

"We've lost a great soldier," Kashimura was quoted as saying by Reuters.

Born in Mississippi to a sharecropping family and a father who played the blues under the name Big Milton, Little Milton began to play guitar at 12.

After his discovery by talent scout Ike Turner, he made his first recordings for Sun Records in Memphis at about the same time as Elvis Presley.

Sharing the rough-edged vocal and guitar style of fellow Southerner B.B. King, he was best known for his signature song "The Blues Is Alright," New York Daily News reminds.

He scored several dozen R&B hits through the '60s and '70s, including "Who's Cheating Who" and "Grits Ain't Groceries." He recorded for Chess Records in Chicago and Stax in Memphis, had a Grammy nomination, appeared in the film "Wattstax" and was inducted into the Blues Hall in 1988. He toured internationally until he suffered his stroke.