Monk Montgomery.html

Monk Montgomery
Birth name	William Howard Montgomery
Born	October 10, 1921(1921-10-10) Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
Died	May 20, 1982 (aged 60) Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
Genre(s)	Jazz
Occupation(s)	Bassist
Instrument(s)	Bass guitar, double bass
Label(s)	MoJazz, Chisa, Philadelphia International
Associated acts	Wes Montgomery, Lionel Hampton, Cal Tjader, Red Norvo

William Howard "Monk" Montgomery (October 10, 1921 – May 20, 1982) was an American jazz bassist. He is perhaps the first electric bassist of significance to jazz, introducing the Fender Precision Bass to the genre in 1951. Montgomery also played the double bass.

1 Biography
- 1.1 Career
- 1.2 Marriage and children
2 Discography
- 2.1 Albums
3 References

Biography

Career

Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, Montgomery was the older brother of guitarist Wes Montgomery; younger brother, Buddy Montgomery plays vibraphone and piano. His professional career did not start until after his younger brother Wes, at the age of 30. From 1951 to 1953 he worked in Lionel Hampton's Orchestra. After that he worked with his brothers and Alonzo Johnson in the Montgomery Johnson Quintet. In 1955 he moved to Seattle to form the Mastersounds from 1957–1960. Later from 1966–1970, he freelanced with Cal Tjader and continued to play where he settled in Las Vegas, Nevada with The Red Norvo Trio. In his final years he was active in the Las Vegas Jazz Society, which he founded. He had also been planning a world jazz festival. Montgomery died of cancer in Las Vegas on May 20, 1982.

Marriage and children

Montgomery had a wife, Amelia, three sons, and four stepchildren.

Discography

Albums

It's Never Too Late (1969), MoJazz
Bass Odyssey (1971), Chisa
Reality (1974), Philadelphia International

References

"William (Monk) Montgomery, Bass Player With Hampton". The New York Times. May 22, 1982. Retrieved on May 5, 2008.
Monk Montgomery at Allmusic