Artist: Wes Montgomery

John Leslie "Wes" Montgomery (March 6, 1923 – June 15, 1968) was an American jazz guitarist. 

His recordings up to 1965 were oriented towards  hard bop, soul jazz, and post bop, but around 1965 he began recording more pop-oriented instrumental albums that found mainstream success. His later guitar style influenced jazz fusion and smooth jazz. 

Montgomery was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, and grew up in Columbus, Ohio. In 1943, Montgomery found work as a welder and got married. At a dance with his wife, he heard a Charlie Christian record for the first time. This motivated him to buy a six-string guitar the next day. For nearly a year, night and day, he tried to imitate Christian and teach himself the guitar. Although he hadn't intended to become a musician, he felt obligated to learn after buying the guitar. 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. 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. 

Montgomery spent two years with the Hampton band, and was given the opportunity to play with  Charles Mingus, Milt Buckner, and Fats Navarro. He returned to Indianapolis a better player. He resumed performing at local clubs, this time with the Eddie Higgins Trio and the Roger Jones Quintet, playing with Higgins, Walter Perkins, and Leroy Vinnegar. He joined his brothers Buddy and Monk and saxophonist Alonzo "Pookie" Johnson in the Johnson/ Montgomery Quintet, somewhat in the style of  George Shearing. The band auditioned for Arthur Godfrey and recorded sessions with Quincy Jones. After a residency at a club from 1955 to 1957, Montgomery and his brothers went west. 

Buddy and Monk Montgomery formed The Mastersounds and signed a contract with Dick Bock at Pacific Jazz. Montgomery joined them for a recording session in 1957 that included Freddie Hubbard. Some of the songs were released by Pacific Jazz on the album The Montgomery Brothers and Five Others, while others were issued on Fingerpickin'  (Pacific Jazz, 1958). The Mastersounds remained in California when Montgomery returned to Indianapolis to work in his trio with organist Melvin Rhyne. 

He worked as a welder during the day to support his wife and seven children, then performed at two clubs at night until well into the morning. During one performance, the audience included Cannonball Adderley, George Shearing, and Lennie Tristano. Adderley was so impressed by Montgomery's guitar playing that he persuaded Orrin Keepnews to sign him to Riverside. In New York City, Montgomery recorded A Dynamic New Sound, the Wes Montgomery Trio. In 1960, he recorded The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery with  Tommy Flanagan, Percy Heath, and Albert Heath. 

Montgomery recorded a live album with Johnny Griffin, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, and Jimmy Cobb, and their performance became the album Full House, which was followed by Fusion! (1963), his first instrumental pop album. 

After two more organ trio jazz sessions for Riverside Records in 1963 (Boss Guitar and Portrait of Wes), Montgomery left the label for Verve Records. His first Verve release, Movin' Wes (1964), was an instrumental pop album arranged by Johnny Pate. It quickly sold more than 100,000 copies and repositioned Montgomery within the recording industry as a crossover artist capable of significant LP sales.

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