John Leslie "Wes" Montgomery (March 6, 1923 – June 15, 1968) was an American jazz guitarist. One of the most influential guitarists of the 20th century, emerging after such seminal figures as Django Reinhardt and Charlie Christian and influencing countless others, including Pat Martino, George Benson, Emily Remler, Kenny Burrell, Pat Metheny, and Jimi Hendrix.
Wes Montgomery was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. According to NPR, the nickname "Wes" was a child's abbreviation of his middle name, Leslie. The family was large, and the parents split up early in the lives of the children. Montgomery and his brothers moved to Columbus, Ohio, with their father and attended Champion High School. His older brother Monk dropped out of school to sell coal and ice, gradually saving enough money to buy his brother Wes a four-string tenor guitar from a pawn shop in 1935. 
He received no formal instruction and couldn't read music. By the age of twenty he was performing in clubs in Indianapolis at
night copying Christian's solos, while working during the day, first at a milk company. In 1948, when Lionel Hampton was on tour in Indianapolis, he was looking for a guitarist, and after hearing Montgomery play like Christian he hired him. He went on the road with Hampton for two years. During this time he appeared on a long list of Hampton studio and broadcast recordings, among them "Lavender Coffin, and "Benson's Boogie" and "Where or When". His appearances on the studio recordings were limited to rhythm playing. But every now and then he got a short solo on some of the broadcast recordings like "Hot House".
Montgomery left The Hampton band in 1950 and returned to Indiana where he worked with his brothers and other local bands, including his own trio. He recorded his first record as a leader in 1959 when he made The Wes Montgomery Trio.
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Between 1959 and 1963 a succession of important Wes Montgomery recordings appeared that still represent some of his best work. Among these recordings were The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery, The Wes Montgomery Trio and Full House. During this same period he made a set of recordings with his brothers that remain jazz classics today. All the recordings from this period were made in small groups and each represented important milestones in Montgomery's evolution as a jazz guitarist.
Between 1959 and 1963 a succession of important Wes Montgomery recordings appeared that still represent some of his best work. Among these recordings were The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery, The Wes Montgomery Trio and Full House. During this same period he made a set of recordings with his brothers that remain jazz classics today. All the recordings from this period were made in small groups and each represented important milestones in Montgomery's evolution as a jazz guitarist.
After 1963, Montgomery began recording for Verve and A & MRecords and the recordings took on a very different production quality aimed more at the mass music markets. Orchestration was added and more pop tunes were covered. It was the recording that included the title tune Going Out Of My Head that won Montgomery a Grammy in 1965.
The recordings in this second period were more significant for their commercial success than for the music. To some extent they were over produced and did not have the same immediateness and power of the small group recordings.
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They remain somewhat unpopular with jazz guitar purists. However, they made Wes Montgomery a household name and helped elevate the guitar to a whole new level in American popular music.
They remain somewhat unpopular with jazz guitar purists. However, they made Wes Montgomery a household name and helped elevate the guitar to a whole new level in American popular music.For the jazz guitarist, the recordings from the first period remain the most significant. All Wes Montgomery recordings have the unmistakable Montgomery imprint, but it is the small group material that best presented the whole context of the Montgomery approach to jazz guitar. Wes Montgomery was a superb melodist who made the
head of the most common jazz standard sound fresh. His
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improvisational skills were second to none, and he was a magnificent supporting musician.
And, of course, there was that warm Wes Montgomery sound achieved by using his thumb rather than a pick. The small group material gave the listener immediate access to all this better than the later recordings. To the chagrin of jazz purists, Wes did not record another jazz album after 1965. However, in concert, as critic Gary Giddins attests, Wes continued to improvise stunning solos until his death.
head of the most common jazz standard sound fresh. His
And, of course, there was that warm Wes Montgomery sound achieved by using his thumb rather than a pick. The small group material gave the listener immediate access to all this better than the later recordings. To the chagrin of jazz purists, Wes did not record another jazz album after 1965. However, in concert, as critic Gary Giddins attests, Wes continued to improvise stunning solos until his death.
At the peak of his popularity, Montgomery died of a heart attack on June 15, 1968, while at home in Indianapolis.
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In a remarkably brief time frame, Wes Montgomery, a kind, modest man and a magnificent musician, left a legacy of enormous distinction to the jazz community. He most likely did not set out to do this, it just happened as a by-product of his very accessible talent. (Edited from Wikipedia & Classic Jazz Guitar)
In a remarkably brief time frame, Wes Montgomery, a kind, modest man and a magnificent musician, left a legacy of enormous distinction to the jazz community. He most likely did not set out to do this, it just happened as a by-product of his very accessible talent. (Edited from Wikipedia & Classic Jazz Guitar)