James "Little Milton" Campbell Jr.
At the age of 12 he was already a street musician, at 17 he joined The Rhythm Aces. That's how he became "Little Milton" as a young teenager.
In 1953, while still a teenager playing in local bars, he was discovered by Ike Turner, who was a talent scout for Sam Phillips at Sun Records. In 1958, Milton moved to East St. Louis and set up the St. Louis-based Bobbin Records label, which ultimately scored a distribution deal with Leonard Chess' Chess Records. As a record producer, Milton helped bring artists such as Albert King and Fontella Bass to fame. Throughout the late 1960s Milton released a number of moderately successful singles.

Marion "Little Walter" Jacobs
Little Walter was "The king of all post-war blues harpists, who took the humble mouth organ in dazzling amplified directions" (Bill Dahl). He established the standard vocabulary for modern blues and blues rock harmonica players.
Little Walter; He quit school, and by the age of 12 had left rural Louisiana and travelled, working odd jobs and busking on the streets of New Orleans, Memphis, Helena and West Helena, Arkansas, and St. Louis. He was also small in stature. Walter died at the age of 37 from a blood clot in his heart.

Melvin "Lil' Son" Jackson
At age 16 he ran away from home, fanned a small group called The Blue Eagle Four, worked as a mechanic and played guitar and sang the blue for his own satifaction. In 1944 Melvin Jackson was drafted in the army and saw service in Wales, France, and Germany. Upon discharge he returned to Dallas to work as a mechanic. Friends encouraged him to send a recording he made in an amusement arcade booth to Bill Quinn in Houston (Gold Star). Which led to a musical career. Together with Lightnin' Hopkins they characterize Texas guitar style of the 1950, while incorporating the traditions established by Blind Lemon Jefferson in the 1920.
The people called him "Son" (after Jack-son) and because he was small, "Little".

Albert Abraham (Abe) "Little Smokey" Smothers
Abe was called "Little Smokey" because his older brother was nicknamed "Big Smokey". Otis "Big Smokey" Smothers was a member of Howlin' Wolf's backing band and worked with Muddy Waters, Jimmy Rogers, Bo Diddley, Ike Turner, Freddie King, Little Walter and Willie Dixon.
No doubt Otis came up with a nickname that appealed and drew attention to his talent as a guitarist and blues singer. Smok(e)y is used to describe a dark sexual tone on the guitar.
In 1961 Abe Smothers founded Little Smokey Smothers and the Pipeplayers. He later met Paul Butterfield and became a founding member of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. He was replaced in the band by Elvin Bishop but developed a friendship that lasted a lifetime. Throughout the 1960s Smothers appeared with Buddy Guy, James Cotton, Earl Hooker, and Junior Wells.

George "Little Hat" Jones
The nickname "Little Hat" was acquired from a construction job in Garland, where Jones wore a hat with part of the brim torn.
It was around age 13 that Jones' mother had, "done gone and found an old guitar for me to pick." He said he believed that she had done this in order to keep him at home instead of playing piano at the church.
Jones performed at parties, fish fries and juke joints, often in the company of Thomas Shaw, Texas Alexander, and J. T. Smith.

"John Littlejohn" Wesley Funchess (born 1931)
John Littlejohn was an amazingly good slide guitarist who was heavily influenced by Elmore James. His versatility and professionalism made him popular in Chicago's blues scene.
At the age of 15 he left his parental home and started his career at a young age. From the age of 20, he played frequently in Chicago clubs. At the age of 35 he made his first studio recordings.
Littlejohn; it was traditionally a nickname used for a person who was small, or younger, named John. John had an older brother.

The interview gives an insight into what life was like for a young blues musician in those days.

"So when I got 14 years old, my father won a guitar in a crap game. I’d catch him going from the house and I’d grab it, you know. The first tune I learned how to play was – I heard Lightning Hopkins playing this tune – Baby, Please Don’t Go.
When I got 15 years old I was making somewhere around a dollar and a quarter a day. Yeah. I left there and went to Jackson. I got a job with my brother, delivering blocks of ice to people with an ice truck.
I left Jackson in ’49 and went to Blytheville, Arkansas. They was paying 15 dollars a row for chopping cotton.
In Gary (Gary is located along the southern shore of Lake Michigan about 25 miles (40 km) southeast of downtown Chicago) I got the job at Shell Service Station there, and I worked there for about 6 months. I went down to a Music Store. I bought me a Gibson amplifier, I bought me a Gibson guitar, I bought me a mic stand, and a mic.
It was ’51. I went out there and playing in road houses. The only thing I could play was what I had accumulated along the line by listening, watching.
He said, “I’ll give y’all 350 dollars a week, and that’s three nights, Friday, Saturday, Sunday.” It was Joe Howard, owned Club 99 in Joliet.
It was in Gary where I ran into Bo Diddley and Jimmy Reed. When I ran into Jimmy he was about to come out of the Navy. Jimmy was playing out at the roadhouses, too. He was living in South Chicago out there."

John tried to record a song for 10 years, but was rejected every time. Until Howlin' Wolf put in a good word for him, after which he recorded 4 songs at Margaret Records, which were unsuccessful.
It was difficult in those days to earn enough money with a band to support a family. For that reason, John thinks, it's 1968, just call it a day. Fortunately, he didn't, because his best years were yet to come.

It must have been 2002 when I talked to Aron Burton (at some point Aron and his brother Larry played in The Icebreakers, Albert Collins' band) about John Littlejohn. Aron said he knew him because John was related to him. Aron stayed in a house nearby for a few months and at the weekend we performed with him in clubs. On Tuesdays I would keep him company and we would talk and play blues music. Aron played the bass. One of those days I asked him what John Littlejohn meant by "Bloody tears on my pillow, I swallow in my baby's vain". Later that year Aron released a new CD, the first track was "Bloody tears on my pillow" by John Littlejohn (Although Aron took the credits).