Milton James Bland, better known as Monk Higgins, and born on October 3, 1930, in Menifee, Arkansas, was a composer, arranger, tenor saxophonist, keyboardist, and producer. In 1962, he joined One-derful Records' Artists and Repertoire department. Higgins's breakthrough came with the instrumental tracks "Who-Dun-It" (1966), which reached number 30 on the US R&B chart in 1966, and "Gotta Be Funky" (1972), which peaked at number 22 on the US R&B chart in 1972. He worked extensively, collaborating with notable artists such as Gene Harris, Bobby Bland, and Nina Simone. His solo albums included Monk Higgins in MacArthur Park (1968) and Extra Soul Perception (1968). Higgins also composed the music for the film Sheba, Baby in 1975 and worked on television advertising jingles. He died from a respiratory ailment on July 3, 1986, at Centinela Hospital in Inglewood, California.
