Wes Montgomery

Wes Montgomery was a guitarist whose thumb-picking technique and octave-based improvisations established new possibilities for jazz guitar. The guitarist’s career demonstrates extensive output across more than 560 releases, from early hard bop recordings through later pop-oriented instrumental work. Born John Leslie Montgomery in Indianapolis, he grew up in a musical family with brothers Monk (bass) and Buddy (piano, vibraphone). Montgomery showed no early musical interest until age nineteen, when hearing Charlie Christian’s recording with Benny Goodman inspired him to purchase a guitar. Unable to read music, he taught himself by imitating Christian’s solos while working as a welder, developing his distinctive thumb technique to reduce volume for neighbors.

Lionel Hampton hired Montgomery in 1948 after hearing him perform in Indianapolis, leading to two years of touring before Montgomery returned home to family obligations. Throughout the 1950s he performed in Indianapolis clubs, often with organist Melvin Rhyne and his brothers. The Montgomery Brothers recorded for Pacific Jazz starting in 1958, with “Montgomeryland” (1960) featuring the trio with Harold Land. Cannonball Adderley’s recommendation led to Montgomery’s contract with Riverside Records in 1959. “The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery” (1960) with Tommy Flanagan, Percy Heath, and Albert “Tootie” Heath featured Montgomery’s compositions “Four on Six” and “West Coast Blues,” earning him Down Beat’s New Star Award. Riverside albums including “So Much Guitar!” (1961), “Full House” (1962), and “Boss Guitar” (1963) documented his small-group jazz work with Wynton Kelly and various rhythm sections.

After Riverside’s bankruptcy, Montgomery signed with Verve Records and producer Creed Taylor in 1964. “Movin’ Wes” (1964) marked a shift toward pop instrumentals arranged by Johnny Pate, selling over 100,000 copies. The guitarist recorded his final small-group jazz albums with Wynton Kelly (1965) and Jimmy Smith (1967), while focusing primarily on contemporary pop: “California Dreaming” (1967), “Tequila” (1966), and “Goin’ Out of My Head” (1965), which won a Grammy. Montgomery died of a heart attack on June 15, 1968, at age forty-five. The discography spans labels including Pacific Jazz, Riverside, and Verve, documenting technical innovations in octave playing and chord melody that influenced guitarists from George Benson to Pat Metheny.