Coco Montoya: Master Blues Guitarist

Coco Montoya might not be familiar to many of you, but if you consider yourself a blues fan, you should be well aware of his name. Coco Montoya is on the very forefront of modern blues, but he didn't get there overnight. Montoya was born in Santa Monica, California in 1951, and originally played drums. But in 1969, he saw Albert King at the height of the blues revival. King's guitar playing and singing shook the young Montoya to the core; he then switched to guitar. (Note: Montoya is also left-handed like King, and plays upside-down and backwards without reversing the order of the strings low-to-high)

Later on by the mid-1970s, Montoya was drafted in Albert Collins' band by "the Iceman" himself as a drummer. Collins treated the young Montoya like a son, and spent many hours mentoring the young talent. Montoya still refers to Collins as "dad". (Albert Collins passed away in 1993 from cancer.)

Montoya spent the 1980s gigging in the prime spot for all blues players: as the guitarist with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. Mayall discovered the guitarist when Coco was playing in a Los Angeles bar one night. Under Mayall's tutelage, Montoya became one of the best-kept secrets in the blues, recording several albums and touring all over the world with "the father of British blues" (whose ranks previously included the likes of Eric Clapton, Peter Green, Mick Taylor, and Walter Trout). I first saw Montoya myself, on an airing of "Austin City Limits" from the late 80s or early 90s. He and Mayall tore through a rendition of the Bear that knocked me out.

Coco Montoya signed with Blind Pig Records in the early 90's after Albert Collins death. Since then, his stock has risen steadily as the standard torch-bearer for modern blues in the post-Stevie Ray Vaughan era. Montoya himself was a contemporary and very good friend of SRV. Montoya has since released 5 solo albums.

Gotta Mind To Travel (1995, Blind Pig) was Montoya's debut album as a solo artist. This tight set of tunes reinforces what we already knew, that Montoya is a first-rate blues guitar player. What this disc reveals over the course of 10 songs, is that Montoya is also a really fine singer, and capable songwriter. The results are very impressive to say the least.

Ya Think I'd Know Better (Blind Pig, 1996) is for my money Coco's best album. The playing, singing, and the songs are all first-rate and delivered with serious conviction. Montoya also covers more stylistic ground here, touching in soul, Cajun, and swing influences. His pure blues tunes like "Monkey See, Monkey Do" and "Dyin' Flu" are earth-shaking. Other highlights: the entire album.

Just Let Go (Blind Pig, 1997). This album finds Montoya in more mainstream blues-rock and soul mode. He is joined by the Cate Brothers and Little Feat vocalist Shaun Murphy for several songs

Suspicion (Alligator, 2000) - This album marks Coco's debut on the Alligator label. The results are very solid. The songwriting is more diverse with Cajun, R&B, and Soul influences. And the production is fatter too with the addition of horns. Along with Ya Think I'd Know Better, this one is my favorite Montoya album. He gets smooth and funky on the slow-burn of "Fool" and "Good Days Bad Days" and he cranks it up on the white-hot "Beyond the Blues"

Can't Look Back (Alligator, 2002) - is a harder-edged version of the funky blues-rock that Coco has grown into. The grooves and the mix are harder, tighter, and funkier here. Montoya delivers a few really nice choices of cover tunes: Albert Collins' "Same Old Thing" and the rare Four Tops song "Something About You"

"Dirty Deal" (TBA - January 2007)

Coco Montoya has an undeniably strong blues pedigree. Now he stands as the standard torch-bearer on the frontlines of modern blues. In an era where guitar players are content to mimic Stevie Ray and Jimi and just call it blues, players like Coco Montoya remind us the blues has a wonderful tradition and a great future.