Hello John, Coco's birthday was yesterday. He plays here on a regular basis as he has relatives in Glendale affording us a connection to a real-deal Bluesman. He was part of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers for a number of years, did stints with Albert Collins and Debbie Davies. The Bluesbreakers have been around since the '60s in one form or another. Lots of biggies have graduated from that band. Impressive resume. Read and enjoy. Tickets are on sale for Blues Blast '23 so make your plans. We went to the first-ever Hassayampa Music Festival out near Tonopah on Saturday and the wind got us ant tore up our booth so we packed it in and came home. Nice venue. Bummer day. Revues say it has the potential to be a very nice show. We'll see. Beautiful days and nights are upon us. We been waiting forever. Make the most of it while you can and get Out & About. And hug someone this week. Won't cost you a dime and it'll make both of you feel good. Have a week!
Jim Crawford, Phoenix Blues Society www.phoenixblues.com |
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Coco
by Thom Jurek Over the course of his 30-year career, guitarist and vocalist Coco Montoya’s explosive guitar playing and soul-driven voice have propelled him to the upper reaches of the blues-rock world. From his early days as a drummer to his current status as one of the top-drawing guitarists and vocalists on the blues-rock scene, Montoya has forged his reputation through years of hard work and constant touring. And it all started with a chance meeting in the mid-1970s with legendary bluesman Albert Collins, who offered Montoya a gig as his drummer. Albert took an immediate liking to Montoya, becoming his mentor and teaching his new protégé secrets of the Collins “icy hot” style of blues guitar. Five years later, John Mayall happened to catch Montoya at a jam session and was blown away. This led to Montoya’s touring the world for ten years with the legendary Bluesbreakers. Since stepping out as a bandleader in 1993, Montoya has released four solo albums and has performed non-stop at clubs, concert halls and major festivals all over the world. At every show, fans’ jaws dropped, and critics raved about Montoya’s mind-bending guitar licks and impassioned vocals. “The fiery blues that issue forth from Coco Montoya’s guitar are awe-inspiring and boogie requiring,” shouted The Village Voice. “Blistering, pure blues,” cheered Blues Revue. Now, with Can’t Look Back (AL 4885), Montoya turns up the intensity with another dose of his feral, soul-stirring music. Coco Montoya was born in Santa Monica, California in 1951 and raised by working class parents with a large record collection. As a youngster, he enjoyed picking out notes on the guitar, but he grew up playing drums in local rock bands. In 1969, Montoya saw Albert King opening up a Creedence Clearwater Revival/Iron Butterfly concert and was transformed. “After Albert got done playing,” says Montoya, “my life was changed. When he played, the music went right into my soul. It grabbed me so emotionally that I had tears welling up in my eyes. Nothing had ever affected me to this level. He showed me what music and guitar playing were all about. I knew that was what I wanted to do.” By the mid-1970s, Montoya was playing drums in several local rock bands, one of which played a small Culver City, California bar on weekends. One Sunday, Albert Collins was booked to play a matinee there and the club owner gave Collins permission to use Montoya’s drums. Montoya continues the story: “I show up to pick up my equipment and I see that someone had been playing my drums and I got a little angry with the club owner. So Albert called me up at the club and was real nice and apologetic. I went down to see his show and it really just tore my head off. The thing that I had seen and felt with Albert King came pouring back on me when I saw Albert Collins.” A few months later, Albert desperately needed a drummer for a tour of the Northwest and he called Coco. “When he called,” recalls Coco, “I figured we’d rehearse for a few weeks before the tour. Instead, he told me he’d pick me up in three hours.” During the tour, Albert took Montoya under his wing, teaching him about the blues. After the tour ended, Montoya remained in Collins’ band for five more years. It was during this time that Coco began doubling on guitar. And Collins went out of his way to teach the youngster. “We’d sit in hotel rooms for hours and play guitar,” remembers Montoya. “He’d play that beautiful rhythm of his and just have me play along. He was always saying, ‘Don’t think about it, just feel it.’ He taught me to tap into an inner strength. What a great gift he gave me.” As Montoya’s guitar playing improved, his relationship with Collins kept growing. “He was like a father to me,” says Coco, who often crashed at Collins’ house. When Collins declared Montoya his “son,” it was the highest praise and affection he could offer. In return, Montoya learned everything he could from the legendary Master of the Telecaster. As disco began to take over and gigs began to dry up, Montoya left Collins’ band, but the two stayed very close friends. Montoya worked as a bartender, figuring his career as a musician was over. But luck was still on his side. He kept playing guitar (“I had plenty of time on my hands,” Montoya recalls) and eventually others took note of his prowess. One night in the early 1980s, Montoya was jamming in a Los Angeles bar when John Mayall walked in. As a quick tribute, Montoya launched into All Your Love I Miss Loving. Impressed, Mayall left the club with a soundboard tape. When Mayall needed a guitarist for the newly reformed Bluesbreakers, he called Coco Montoya. Filling the shoes of previous Bluesbreaker guitarists Eric Clapton, Peter Green and Mick Taylor would not be easy, but Montoya knew he could not pass up the opportunity to play with another blues legend. He joined the band, determined to become an even greater guitarist. For the next ten years he toured the world and recorded with Mayall, soaking up everything he could. Along with fellow Bluesbreaker guitarist Walter Trout, Montoya was a featured member of the band, and often opened shows with his own blistering blues. And like the great guitarists who came before him in the Bluesbreakers, Montoya’s emergence as a scalding hot player with chops to burn suggested big things to come. By the early 1990s, Montoya was at another crossroads. He had been with the Bluesbreakers for ten years and felt ready for a change. His friend Albert Collins had been diagnosed with cancer, and during one visit, Collins told Coco to move on and do his own thing. Montoya talked to Mayall, who understood the time was right. “Both Albert and John pushed me out of the nest nice and easy,” says Coco. Although he was nervous about the move, Montoya put a band together and hit the road, proving himself night after night. His debut as a leader, 1995’s Gotta Mind To Travel (originally on Silvertone Records in England and later issued in the USA on Blind Pig Records), became an instant favorite with blues fans, radio programmers and critics. The album introduced Montoya as a bandleader who immediately ranked among the best players on the contemporary blues scene. In 1996, he was nominated for four W.C. Handy Awards and walked away with the award for Best New Blues Artist. Montoya’s follow-up, 1996’s Ya Think I’d Know Better (Blind Pig), showcased a feral blues rocker with vocal skills matched only by his ferocious guitar playing. The album stayed on the Billboard Blues Chart for 14 weeks, reaching the number 10 position. The Washington Post called the CD, “One of the year’s strongest blues-rock albums.” 1997’s Just Let Go (Blind Pig) continued to highlight Montoya’s steely guitar licks and intense vocals, earning him legions of new fans everywhere he played. “He sings and plays with passionate abandon,” shouted the Boston Globe. In 2000, Coco’s Alligator debut, Suspicion, quickly became the best-selling album of his career. “Powerhouse blues,” exclaimed Guitar Player, “searing tone, emotional soloing, and energetic, unforced vocals…stunning.” With regular radio airplay on over 120 stations nationwide, Montoya’s fan base exploded. The record held the number one position on the Living Blues radio chart for three straight months. And it landed on the Billboard Blues Chart for 11 weeks in a row, peaking at number 11. Features and reviews ran in Billboard, Guitar Player, The New York Times, Blues Revue, JazzTimes, The Chicago Tribune, and countless other national and regional publications. Averaging over 200 tour dates a year, Montoya packs clubs and theaters around the world. He has played major festivals, including the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, The Chicago Blues Festival, The San Francisco Blues Festival and Canada’s Inter-national Jazz Festival. It’s no coincidence that publications from The Philadelphia Daily News to Blues Revue to Living Blues to The Village Voice all rank Coco among the best guitarists and singers on the blues scene. “Montoya is at the forefront of the contemporary blues world,” declared Guitar World. “He is one of the truly gifted blues artists of his generation,” said Living Blues. With Can’t Look Back and continued non-stop touring, Coco Montoya is blasting head first into the future, and he’s bringing everyone along for the fiery, blues-rocking ride. |
EARLY BIRD TICKET PRICE FOR BLUES BLAST ENDS OCT. 8! GET YOUR TICKETS BEFORE PRICES GO UP
Blues Blast Tickets |
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OUT & ABOUT
Tuesday, Oct 3 Hooter & Gypsy’s Blues JAM, 6 p.m., Pho Cao, Scottsdale Johnny’s JAM, 6:30p.m., Jimbo’sSports Bar & Grill, Glendale Carvin Jones, 6 p.m., Parkview Tap House, Fountain Hills Wednesday, Oct 4 Tool Shed JAM, 7 p.m., The Blooze, Phoenix JC & The Juke Rockers, 6:30 p.m., Fuego @ The Clarendon, Phoenix Carvin Jones, 6 p.m., Arizona BBQ Shack, Scottsdale Thursday, Oct 5 Johnny’s JAM, 7 p.m., Starlight Lounge, Glendale Hans Olson, 6 p.m., Handlebar Pub, Apache Junction Carvin Jones, 6 p.m., On The Green Sports Grill, Mesa Eric Ramsey, 7:30 p.m., Janey’s, Cave Creek The Jokerz, 7 p.m., Handlebar J, Scottsdale Friday, Oct 6 JC & The Juke Rockers, 8 p.m., What The Hell Bar & Grill, Mesa Carvin Jones, 8 p.m., Jolie’s Place, Chandler Ramsey/Roberson, 6 p.m., Fatso’s, Phoenix Cadillac Assembly Line, 7:30 p.m., Fibber McGee’s, Chandler Saturday, Oct 7 Cold Shott & The Hurricane Horns, 8 p.m., The Rhythm Room, Phoenix JC & The Juke Rockers, 7:30 p.m., Fibber McGee’s Irish Pub, Chandler Carvin Jones, 7 p.m., Lakeside Bar & Grill, Peoria Ramsey/Roberson, 6 p.m., Fatso’s, Phoenix Sunday, October 8 Rocket 88’s JAM, 1 p.m., Chopper John’s Tommy Castro & The Pain Killers with Deanna Bogart, 7 p.m., The Rhythm Room, Phoenix Carvin Jones, 5 p.m., Gold Stallion Restaurant, Gold Canyon Bluesman Mike & The Blues Review Band, 3 p.m., St. Andrew’s Church, Chandler Monday, October 9 Carvin Jones, 6 p.m., Badlands Bar & Grill, Tempe Freedom Heartsong, Aaron McCall Band, King Ropes, 7 p.m., The Rhythm Room
Check Out: AZ Blues Scene for great Blues in Northern Arizona. And stay in touch with the Northern Arizona Blues Alliance.
In the Tucson Area: The Southern Arizona Blues Heritage Foundation has all the Tucson area Blues info you can use! Music Makers
Big Pete Pearson bigpeteblues Facebook Cold Shott and The Hurricane Horns www.coldshott.com Facebook The Sugar Thieves www.sugarthieves.com Facebook Gary Zak & The Outbacks Facebook Hans Olson www.hansolson.net Facebook Rocket 88s www.rocket88s.net Facebook JC& The Rockers www.thejukerockers.com Facebook Carvin Jones www.carvinjones.com Facebook Hoodoo Casters www.hoodoocasters.com Facebook Nina Curri www.ninacurri.com Facebook Mother Road Trio www.motherroadtrio.com Facebook Blues Review Band Reverbnationbluesmanmike Mike Eldred www.mikeeldredtrio.com Facebook Big Daddy D & The Dynamites bigdaddyd.com Facebook Eric Ramsey ericramsey.net Facebook Leon J Facebook Cadillac Assembly Line Facebook Innocent Joe and the Hostile Witnesses Facebook Chuck Hall Facebook
Dry Heat Band Facebook
Genevieve (Gypsy) Castorena Facebook Hooter's Blues Facebook Pop Top Facebook Tommy Grills Band Facebook Sweet Baby Ray SweetBabyRaysBlues.com Facebook Billy G & The Kids billgarvin.com Facebook Aaron McCall Band Facebook True Flavor Blues Facebook Michael Coleman Grodin Facebook The Black Hole Facebook theblackholeblues.com Hallelujah Blues Band Facebook Dennis Hererra Dennisherrera.com Facebook The Jokerz Facebook
The Scott O'Neal Band Facebook thescottonealband@gmail.com
Glenville Slim Facebook
West of The Blues Website Facebook
Until The Sun Facebook website
Detroit Rocco and the Accomplices facebook group: facebook/group/913968186228214
Chicago Bob & The Blues Squad Facebook Website
Venues
The Rhythm Room Facebook Westside Blues & Jazz Facebook Janey's Cave Creek Facebook Chars Live Facebook
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