Wes Montgomery

Legendary Jazz Guitarist

Wes Montgomery was born in Indianapolis, Indiana on March 23, 1923. Wes was a nickname given to him based on his middle name. His full legal name was John Leslie Montgomery.

While Montgomery came from a musical family, he did not learn to play the six string guitar until he was 20 years old and was not good at reading music. However, he was able to learn by ear and developed his playing by listening to and learning Charlie Christian recordings.

Photo of Montgomery during a recording session in the mid-1960s, positioning his hand on his guitar to pick the strings with his thumb.

Part of Montgomery's signature sound was the result of using his thumb to strum his guitar. Another aspect of his sound was the use of octaves in his playing.

Montgomery's career took off when Lionel Hampton hired him in 1948. He soon tired of touring and returned to Indianapolis where he was once again discovered. This time by Cannonball Adderley.

Montgomery's solo recording career only lasted 10 years but produced several lagendary albums, including Far Wes and Smoking at the Half Note.

Montgomery died from a heart attack on June 15, 1968 at the age of 45. He had just returned from an extensive tour and was at the height of his popularity.

Find out more about Wes Montgomery on his Wikipedia page or at wesmontgomery.com.