The following is a bullet point biography of Wes Montgomery.
To learn more about the his life, we recommend the biography at Wikipedia.

• Born John Leslie "Wes" Montgomery - March 6, 1923 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
• Self-taught musician, learned by studying guitarist Charlie Christian.
• Wes played by ear, with an unorthodox technique - using his thumb instead of a guitar pick - and is also known for developing the use of octaves in his solos.
• Toured with Lionel Hampton's orchestra from July 1948 to January 1950.
• Returned to Indianapolis to be with his family, including his brothers Monk Montgomery (bass) and Buddy Montgomery (vibes) who together recorded for the Pacific Jazz Label.
• Signed to Riverside in 1959. Released a series of highly acclaimed, small-group recordings in the traditional jazz/bebop style of the day,
• November 1964, released the first of ten albums on the Verve Label (including 2 with organist Jimmy Smith)
• June 1965, released the classic "Smokin' at the Half Note".
• Began to crossover into pop/jazz style, where he prospered (much to the chagrin of jazz purists).
• 1966: Won Grammy Award for "Best Instrumental Jazz Performance".
• Moved to the A&M Records and recorded 3 albums, consisting mainly of popular songs of the day.
• 1969: Won second Grammy, again for "Best Instrumental Jazz Performance"
• At his height of popularity Wes died of a heart attack on June 15th, 1968, leaving an unprecedented legacy as one of the great jazz innovators and improvisors.

 

The first version of WesMontgomery.com was launched on August 12, 2010 as a destination for jazz guitarists to share and study. WesMontgomery.com 2.0 will include some of Wes' personal archives as the site evolves into the Smithsonian of all things Wes.

This site was designed, coded, and written by Matthew Silbert. He has worked on many high-profile music industry sites, first at the legendary Stumpworld Systems where he oversaw the premiere launches of both Aerosmith.com and Phish.com, and later as CoFounder of Nimbit.com where he produced the official sites of Charles Mingus, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Sam Bush and many, many others...

More info about Matthew Silbert at IamTheWebman.com