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Little Brother Montgomery
A
notable
influence to the likes of Sunnyland Slim and Otis Spann, pianist
"Little Brother" Montgomery's lengthy career spanned both the earliest
years of blues history and the electrified Chicago scene of the 1950s.
By age 11, Montgomery had given up on attending school to instead play
in Louisiana juke joints. He came to Chicago as early as 1926 and made
his first 78s in 1930 for Paramount (the booty that day in Grafton, WI,
included two of Montgomery's enduring signature items, "Vicksburg
Blues" and "No Special Rider"). Bluebird recorded Montgomery more
prolifically in 1935-36 in New Orleans.
In 1942, Little Brother Montgomery settled down to a life of steady
club gigs in Chicago, his repertoire alternating between blues and
traditional jazz (he played Carnegie Hall with Kid Ory's Dixieland band
in 1949). Otis Rush benefitted from his sensitive accompaniment on
several of his 1957-58 Cobra dates, while Buddy Guy recruited him for
similar duties when he nailed Montgomery's "First Time I Met the Blues"
in a supercharged revival for Chess in 1960. That same year, Montgomery
cut a fine album for Bluesville with guitarist Lafayette "Thing" Thomas
that remains one of his most satisfying sets.
With his second wife, Janet Floberg, Montgomery formed his own little
record company, FM, in 1969. The first 45 on the logo, fittingly
enough, was a reprise of "Vicksburg Blues," with a vocal by Chicago
chanteuse Jeanne Carroll (her daughter Karen is following in her
footsteps around the Windy City).
-Written
by Bill Dahl
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