Legendary blues-rock guitarist and vocalist Coco Montoya, touring in support of his latest Alligator Records release, Hard Truth, will perform at Songbirds Guitar Museum on Tuesday, Dec. 11, at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25 and available here.
Review for Coco Montoya:
Taught by the "Master of the Telecaster," Albert Collins, and schooled by a decade on the road with John Mayall, Montoya, who cut three successful CDs for Alligator between 2000 and 2007, has a hard-edged sound and style all his own. He delivers instantly memorable songs, powered by his forceful, melodic guitar playing and passionate vocals.
A monster player and dynamic performer, on Hard Truth Montoya unleashes one career-topping performance after another, the music immediately ranking among the best he's ever recorded. Produced by Tony Braunagel (Eric Burdon, Curtis Salgado, Taj Mahal, Bonnie Raitt), the album features 11 songs, ranging from red hot rockers to soul-baring ballads, driving shuffles and intense slow blues, each delivering its own hard truth. From the radio-friendly, gospel-inspired celebration of love, I Want To Shout About It, to the haunting Devil Don't Sleep to the icy-hot cover of Albert Collins' The Moon Is Full, Hard Truth ranks among Montoya's best recordings ever.
His unpredictable guitar playing and smoking soul vocals blend effortlessly with a backing band featuring renowned musicians including bassist Bob Glaub (Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Jerry Lee Lewis), keyboardist Mike Finnigan (Jimi Hendrix, Etta James, Taj Mahal), guitarists Billy Watts (Eric Burdon) and Johnny Lee Schell (Bonnie Raitt), and Braunagel on drums. Slide guitar master Lee Roy Parnell guests on Lost In The Bottle.
Montoya earned his status as a master guitarist and soul-powered vocalist through years of paying his dues as a sideman with Albert Collins (first as a drummer) and then as a featured guitarist with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, before launching his solo career in 1993. Five years of constant touring with Collins and ten years with Mayall turned him into a monster player and dynamic performer. Montoya has released eight previous solo albums to great critical and popular acclaim, and has played at clubs, concert halls and major festivals all over the world.
Still an indefatigable road warrior, Montoya continues to pack clubs and theaters around the world, and brings festival audiences to their feet from New York to New Orleans to Chicago to San Francisco. Across the globe, he's performed in countries including Australia, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Norway, England, Brazil, Argentina, Spain, Mexico, Ecuador, Italy, Poland, Russia, Czech Republic and Canada. Vintage Guitar says, "Coco just keeps getting better and better...rockin' blues with guitar that cuts straight to the heart of the matter. His guitar playing is funky and blistering; it's perfect. Whatever he plays, he does it with fire and passion rarely seen in this day and age."