Wes Montgomery Jazz musician Date of Birth: 06.03.1925 Country: USA

Biography of Wes Montgomery

Wes Montgomery, the great jazz and blues master, was a self-taught guitarist who learned guitar parts by ear and then honed his playing technique until his fingertips bled. His distinctive style involved using the pad of his right thumb instead of a pick, and he never played with fingerpicking. Born John Leslie Montgomery on March 6, 1923, in Indianapolis, Indiana, Wes was the fifth child in his family. After his parents' divorce, Wes, along with his brothers and father, moved to Columbus, Ohio.

At the age of 13, Wes's two brothers, Bud Powell and Thelonious Monk, were already playing jazz in local ensembles. It was during this time that Thelonious Monk gave Wes a toy 4-string guitar. According to Thelonious Monk, Wes was quite good at playing it. However, Wes's interest in the guitar didn't last long, as he was more focused on other activities typical for his age. The only thing that came out of his brief fascination with the guitar was his exposure to the music of Charlie Christian, a guitarist whose playing would later inspire Wes to seriously pursue the instrument. Wes greatly expanded on Charlie Christian's techniques, becoming the first to utilize octaves in his playing.

When Wes was 17 years old, he and his brothers returned to their hometown of Indianapolis. There, Wes worked as a welder while playing guitar in clubs during the evenings to support his family. In 1948-1950, he joined Lionel Hampton's orchestra, which led him to tour the country. After his contract with Lionel Hampton ended, Wes had promising musical opportunities ahead of him. However, he chose to return to Indianapolis to be with his family. It was during this time, over the next nine years, that Wes Montgomery developed his famous playing style, which involved not only single-note soloing but also using octaves and chords to embellish melodies.

In 1959, as part of an all-American tour, Julian "Cannonball" Adderley performed in Indianapolis and was captivated by the playing of the "guitar legend of Indianapolis," Wes Montgomery. Through Adderley's assistance, Wes signed a contract with Riverside Records. At the age of 35, Wes Montgomery began working on his first album in 1959. Over the next five years, he recorded extensively with leading jazz musicians in the United States. However, in 1964, Riverside Records went bankrupt, and Wes moved to Verve Records. The recordings he made at Riverside were later reissued as a massive 12-CD box set.

Shortly before this, Wes Montgomery's seventh child was born, and the need to provide for his wife and children led him to explore more commercial music. From 1964 to 1968, Verve Records released a series of first-rate albums by Wes Montgomery in the R'n'B style, where his exquisite guitar solos served as excellent embellishments to popular melodies like "Sunny," "Eleanor Rigby" by The Beatles, and many others. In 1967, Montgomery signed a contract with Creed Taylor (A&M) and recorded three best-selling albums between 1967 and 1968. These albums featured uncomplicated pop melodies accompanied by strings and woodwind instruments. While these recordings disappointed some jazz fans, they gained radio airplay and helped introduce a wider audience to jazz. Wes's live performances during this period retained the spontaneity of his early Riverside sessions.

Constant studio work took a toll on Wes Montgomery's health. From 1959 to 1968, he recorded approximately 20 albums, though the exact number is difficult to determine as some of his recordings were not released at the time and are still being released today. He had heart problems, which he kept hidden from his family. In 1968, Wes Montgomery returned to Indianapolis to undergo treatment with his doctor. Unfortunately, his doctor was unable to save him, and on June 15, 1968, Wes Montgomery passed away from a heart attack. His influence can still be felt in the playing of many guitarists today.