I grew up in the South, and lemme tell you, if you haven’t had grits, you are missing out. One of the best comfort foods known to man, grits will warm you up and fill your belly like nothing else. Today’s Spin is in honor of this humble side dish that can be prepared a million ways.

Little Milton – Grits Ain’t Groceries

Little Milton knows his way around southern cuisine. Raised in Mississippi, he began as a street musician at age twelve, and was playing in a local band by the time he was 14. He was scouted by Ike Turner for Sun Records, and while he cut a number of records for them, none of them made a splash. He moved over to Bobbin Records who had a distribution deal with Chess Records, and that’s when he had his first run at the charts, taking “We’re Gonna Make It” to number 3 on the R & B charts, and breaking into Top 40 radio.

“Grits Ain’t Groceries” is the title track to his 1969 release, and while it didn’t make a huge impact on the charts, that song has staying power- just like a bowl of grits. I first heard this on a blues compilation about a million years ago, and it’s been a staple of my food playlists ever since.

Little Milton was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame is 1988, and won a W.C. Handy award the same year. He passed away in 2005.

In case you need some warming up on a cold November day, here’s Little Milton, with Bonnie Raitt on back up, serving up a hot bowl of grits. Enjoy!

November Tunes

This month’s theme is songs about fall and food! Here’s what we’ve spun so far this month: