Black History News & Notes

BLACK HISTORY NEWS & NOTES NOVEMBER 2001 NUMBER 86 “Probably a Thousand Cats Are Using Their Thumbs”: A Brief Biographical Sketch of Wes Montgomery Andrew M. Mills Jazz historian Ted Gioia observed legacy. Often forgotten in all of these that modem jazz artists “developed accolades, however, is the story of their own unique style, brash and un- Wes Montgomery’s stmggles during apologetic, in backrooms and after his early years in Indianapolis. For hours clubs, at jam sessions and on tunately, some sense of those days can the road with traveling bands.” The be regained through examination of earliest performers of this brand of existing interviews; the most impor music “were, at best, cult figures from tant, perhaps, in Jazz Monthly in May beyond the fringe, not household 1965. names.”1 According to Gioia, a few Bom in Indianapolis on 6 March of these fringe musicians would pass 1923, the musician was originally on to musical greatness, their work named John Leslie Montgomery. He Wes Montgomery. Indianapolis coming to define a particular brand adopted the name Wes later in life. Recorder Collection, IHS C8806 of music for generations to come. Montgomery never received any for discovering “that was more trouble Perhaps no other modem artist fits mal musical training. He could not than I’d ever had in my life! I didn’t Gioia’s description more accurately read notation or chord symbols want to face that. It let me know than jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery. throughout his entire life. At twelve where I really was. It was disappoint A humble man, Montgomery once his brother bought him a tenor guitar ing.” Fortunately, the future India observed of his unique thumb-play that had four strings. At nineteen a napolis jazz great discovered the ing style, “Probably a thousand cats life altering experience occurred. By process was eventually inspiring as are using their thumbs-only they’re chance, Montgomery happened to well. He recalled, “With a little drive not in Indianapolis.”2 The Hoosier na hear jazz guitarist Charlie Christian’s within myself, I stayed on the inspir tive labored for many years in rela Solo Flight. Later in an interview he ing side. Because there’s been so tive obscurity, achieving popular explained, “When I heard Charlie many cats that buy a guitar, pluck notoriety before his sudden death in Christian, I didn’t know what to think, around for a week, and then it’s hang 1968 at age forty-five. because I hadn’t heard anything like ing up. He’ll never touch it no more. Despite Montgomery’s short life, that. I hadn’t even heard Reinhardt It only means that it crosses your his accomplishments place him in the yet. Christian got me all messed up.”4 mind first - as a thought. When you range of musical genius. Indeed, of Up until this point, Wes Montgom come to producing - this is another the handful of musicians who define ery had seldom played the guitar, but side altogether. But this is the sincere the art of modem jazz guitar, three he liked Charlie Christian’s sound so side of it. Either you will or you names, Django Reinhardt, Charlie well that he went out and bought a won’t.”5 Christian, and Wes Montgomery, brand new guitar and amplifier. He Kindled by Christian’s musical typically recur.3 Montgomery won soon discovered that learning to play style, the guitarist purchased not only such honors as the prestigious Down- required a powerful commitment. a guitar, but a new amplifier as well. beat Critic’s and Reader’s Poll two In the beginning, Montgomery na Ironically, his decision to play his years running and a Grammy Award ively envisioned that all he had to do new amplified guitar would lead to in 1966. But perhaps the greatest “was to get an instrument, put your the development of his unorthodox homage to Wes Montgomery is the hands on it, and it would come right playing technique. He refused to play reverence in which he is held by other out. I didn’t know about any of the unamplified, and was soon sitting in jazz musicians today and in the con fundamentals or nothing.” When he his house, plucking out notes, con tinued popularity of his recorded tried to play notes, he remembered tent with the process. But what wa,s BHNN_2001-11_NO86 budding music to him came across as had spent on the amp and guitar, Wes til 5:00 a.m. Montgomery highly val obnoxious noise to the neighbors. practiced diligently. He mainly tried ued the work he did at an Indianapo Montgomery recollected this tense to recreate the Charlie Christian so lis factory. His attitude toward his episode. “I’m sitting in my house los he had heard on recordings. Soon work skills also indicated a holistic playing, you know - happy, but when the talents of Wes and the other Mont sense of art. “I had a good job as a I used my brand new amplifier I guess gomery brothers leaked out to the In welder....Really welding was my I didn’t think about the neighbors. dianapolis music scene. At first, Wes talent...but [music made me] switch Soon they started complaining pretty did not take his abilities seriously and it aside.”9At any rate, the long grind heavy.” It did not help Montgomery’s certainly didn’t consider himself a ing hours gravely affected his health, plight when his wife requested of the professional. Again fate interceded. and Montgomery suffered from would-be guitarist that he “kindly turn A club owner came down the street blackouts. that ‘thing’ off.” What happened next one day and chanced to hear Mont Jazz pianist Don Wilhite, a long changed the sound of jazz guitar for gomery playing. Dumbfounded by the time performer in the Indianapolis ever. “So I laid my pick down on the cool sound, he immediately inquired area, recalled one particular involve amplifier,” Montgomery remem about the humble looking man behind ment with Wes Montgomery and his bered, “and just fiddled around with the guitar. Years later Montgomery brothers during those trying years. the thumb. I said is that better? Oh remembered the incident. “He didn’t When Wilhite got out of the army in yes, she says, that’s better. So I said believe it and I didn’t believe he was the late 1950s, he and another friend I’ll play like this till I get ready to play a club owner, either! - But we got to started a musical advertising business. out, and then I’ll get me a pick. Well, gether and he offered me a job in his One night they went down to the Turf that wasn’t easy either because I club.” Wes was surprised and over Bar just to hear one of many groups found out that I had developed the joyed, recounting, “Wow! Me work that they were scouting for the possi thumb for playing so that when I got ing? And I’d only been playing a bility of using as their staff orchestra. ready to work my first job I picked couple of months.” But there was an It was there Wilhite and his friend up a pick and I think I must have lost other surprise in store. “So I go to the heard this unbelievable band of Wes about fifteen of them!” Now a won club and I find that I’m featured. I’d Montgomery and his brothers. The derful fate intervened. Wes noted, “ I come on and play just Charlie Chris well-trained Wilhite knew a good just didn’t realize that I had to develop tian solos from the records because sound and quickly approached the my pick technique, too. So I said at that time it was all I could play. Of group about playing jingles in the ‘later’ for the pick. I was just playing course the other musicians knew this, staff band. The Montgomery broth for my own amusement so it was but one day I got a hand so big they ers simply could not believe that they great. See, I couldn’t hear the differ wouldn’t let me off the stage. But I were going to be paid thirty dollars ence in the sound as it is today, so I couldn’t play nothing else! It was so an hour. Yet, as Wilhite explained to figured OK, I’ll just use my thumb.”6 embarrassing, so I said I’ve got to go them, the rate was a standard from an Wes Montgomery was not alone back and start practicing.”8 agreement with the Performance in his musical endeavors. He and his Hired to play his unique and ap Trust Fund. brothers, Buddy and Monk, started pealing solos in the 440 Club in In There is a sad part to this story, one jamming to suit themselves around dianapolis, Montgomery was on that Don Wilhite did not learn about the end of World War II. These ses national tour by 1948 with Lionel until fifteen years later. He recalled, sions took place at Montgomery’s Hampton’s band. While representing “Wes’s agent had been booking him, mother’s house every Sunday. Earl national exposure, this gig did little I believe, for sixty-five dollars a week. Grandee, an Indianapolis native, also to further his career or fame. The trav He had kids at the time, and probably frequented these occasions. In an in eling was especially difficult on a man needed the money.

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