View source for Wes Montgomery

{{Short description|American jazz guitarist (1923–1968)}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name            = Wes Montgomery
| image           = Wes Montgomery (1967 Gibson portrait).jpg
| caption         = Photo of Montgomery during a recording session in the mid-1960s
| background      = non_vocal_instrumentalist
| birth_name      = John Leslie Montgomery
| birth_date      = {{birth date|1923|3|6}}
| birth_place     = [[Indianapolis, Indiana]], U.S.
| death_date      = {{death date and age|1968|6|15|1923|3|6}}
| death_place     = Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
| genre           = [[Jazz]]
| occupation      = Musician
| instrument      = Guitar
| years_active    = 1947–1968
| label           = [[Pacific Jazz Records|Pacific Jazz]], [[Riverside Records|Riverside]], [[Verve Records|Verve]], [[A&M Records|A&M]]
| website         = {{URL|wesmontgomery.com/}}
}}
'''John Leslie''' "'''Wes'''" '''Montgomery''' (March 6, 1923 – June 15, 1968) was an American [[jazz guitarist]].<ref name="Allmusic">{{cite web |last1=Yanow |first1=Scott |title=Wes Montgomery |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/wes-montgomery-mn0000248392/biography |website=AllMusic |access-date=11 January 2019}}</ref> Montgomery was known for his unusual technique of plucking the strings with the side of his thumb and for his extensive use of [[octave]]s, which gave him a distinctive sound.

Montgomery often worked with his brothers [[Buddy Montgomery|Buddy]] (Charles F.) and [[Monk Montgomery|Monk]] (William H.), as well as organist [[Melvin Rhyne]]. His recordings up to 1965 were oriented toward [[hard bop]], [[soul jazz]], and [[post bop]], but around 1965 he began recording more pop-oriented instrumental albums that found mainstream success. His later guitar style influenced [[jazz fusion]] and [[smooth jazz]].

==Early life and education==
Montgomery was born in [[Indianapolis, Indiana|Indianapolis]], Indiana.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=IHB |date=2023-12-07 |title=John Leslie "Wes" Montgomery, 1923-1968 |url=https://www.in.gov/history/state-historical-markers/find-a-marker/find-historical-markers-by-county/indiana-historical-markers-by-county/john-leslie-wes-montgomery,-1923-1968/ |access-date=2024-03-11 |website=IHB |language=en}}</ref> According to [[NPR]], the nickname "Wes" was a child's abbreviation of his middle name, Leslie.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfLtx8lcpbc | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211117/pfLtx8lcpbc| archive-date=2021-11-17 | url-status=live|title=NPR Jazz Profiles the Life and Music of Wes Montgomery |publisher=Youtube.com |date=2010-12-08 |access-date=2012-06-25}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The family was large, and the parents split up early in the lives of the children. Montgomery and his brothers moved to [[Columbus, Ohio]], with their father and attended [[Champion High School]]. His older brother [[Monk Montgomery|Monk]] dropped out of school to sell coal and ice, gradually saving enough money to buy Wes a four-string [[tenor guitar]] from a pawn shop in 1935. Although Montgomery spent many hours playing that guitar, he dismissed its usefulness, saying he had to start over when he got his first six-string several years later.<ref name="Ingram">{{cite book |last1=Ingram |first1=Adrian |title=Wes Montgomery |date=2008 |publisher=Hal Leonard |isbn=978-1-872639-68-0 |edition=2}}</ref>

==Career==
{{One source section
| date = September 2021
}}[[File:Wes Montgomery (1960s Verve publicity photo with Gibson L-5 CES).jpg|thumb|left|Montgomery in a mid-1960s publicity photo shot by Bruno of Hollywood studios for [[Verve Records]]]]
He and his brothers returned to Indianapolis. By 1943, Montgomery was working as a [[welding|welder]] and had gotten married. While at a dance with his wife, he heard a [[Charlie Christian]] record for the first time. This experience inspired him to pick up the guitar at the age of 19, and he spent the next year teaching himself to play by imitating Christian's recordings. Although he had not planned on becoming a professional musician, he felt obligated to learn after purchasing the guitar. Montgomery did not receive any formal instruction and could not read music. By the age of twenty, he was performing in clubs in Indianapolis at night, copying Christian's solos, while working during the day at a milk company. In 1948, when [[Lionel Hampton]] was on tour in Indianapolis, he was looking for a guitarist, and after hearing Montgomery play like Christian he hired him.<ref name="Ingram" />

Montgomery spent two years with the Hampton band. Fear kept him from flying with the rest of the band, so he drove from city to city, town to town, while fellow musicians marveled at his stamina. When arriving at a club, the first thing he did was call home to his wife and family. He was given the opportunity to play with [[Charles Mingus]], [[Milt Buckner]], and [[Fats Navarro]], but not the opportunity he hoped for {{specify|date=October 2025}}, and he returned to Indianapolis a better player, though tired and discouraged. He resumed performing at local clubs, this time with the Eddie Higgins Trio and the Roger Jones Quintet, playing with  [[Eddie Higgins]], [[Walter Perkins (musician)|Walter Perkins]], and [[Leroy Vinnegar]]. He joined his brothers [[Buddy Montgomery|Buddy]] and Monk and saxophonist Alonzo "Pookie" Johnson in the Johnson/Montgomery Quintet, somewhat in the style of [[George Shearing]]. The band auditioned for [[Arthur Godfrey]] and recorded sessions with [[Quincy Jones]]. After a residency at a club from 1955 to 1957, Montgomery and his brothers went west.<ref name="Ingram" />

Buddy and Monk Montgomery formed The Mastersounds and signed a contract with Dick Bock at [[Pacific Jazz Records|Pacific Jazz]]. Montgomery joined them for a recording session in 1957 that included [[Freddie Hubbard]]. Some of the songs were released by Pacific Jazz on the album ''The Montgomery Brothers and Five Others'', while others were issued on ''[[Fingerpickin']]'' (Pacific Jazz, 1958). The Mastersounds remained in California when Montgomery returned to Indianapolis to work in his trio with organist [[Melvin Rhyne]].<ref name="Ingram" />

He worked as a welder during the day to support his wife and seven children, then performed at two clubs at night until well into the morning. He was a smoker who had blackouts while trying to maintain this busy schedule. During one performance, the audience included [[Cannonball Adderley]], George Shearing, and [[Lennie Tristano]]. Adderley was so impressed by Montgomery's guitar playing that he persuaded [[Orrin Keepnews]] to sign him to [[Riverside Records|Riverside]]. Keepnews was also persuaded by a gushing review written by [[Gunther Schuller]]. In New York City Montgomery recorded ''A Dynamic New Sound, the Wes Montgomery Trio'', his first album as a leader after twenty years as a musician. In 1960, he recorded ''[[The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery]]'' with [[Tommy Flanagan (musician)|Tommy Flanagan]], [[Percy Heath]], and [[Albert Heath]].<ref name="Ingram" />

[[File:Wes Montgomery.png|thumb|Montgomery in 1965]]

He joined his brothers in California to perform as the Montgomery Brothers for the [[Monterey Jazz Festival]]. The Mastersounds had broken up, and Buddy and Monk had signed with [[Fantasy Records|Fantasy]] and recorded (with Wes) ''The Montgomery Brothers'', followed by ''[[Groove Yard]]''. Montgomery recorded another album as a leader, ''[[So Much Guitar]]'', then while visiting his brothers had a chance to perform with [[John Coltrane|John Coltrane's]] group in San Francisco. In 1961, work was getting harder to find. A tour in Canada led to the album ''[[The Montgomery Brothers in Canada]]'', then the band broke up. Montgomery returned to Indianapolis to work in his trio with Rhyne. Keepnews sent him back to California to record a live album with [[Johnny Griffin]], [[Wynton Kelly]], [[Paul Chambers]], and [[Jimmy Cobb]]. Their performance became the album ''[[Full House (Wes Montgomery album)|Full House]]''. This was followed by ''[[Fusion! Wes Montgomery with Strings|Fusion!]]'' (1963), his first [[Easy listening|instrumental pop]] album.<ref name="Ingram" />

After two more organ trio jazz sessions for Riverside Records in 1963 (''[[Boss Guitar]]'' and ''[[Portrait of Wes]]''), Montgomery left the label for [[Verve Records]]. At Verve, Montgomery began working with producer [[Creed Taylor]], who produced Montgomery for the rest of the guitarist's life. His first Verve release, ''[[Movin' Wes]]'' (1964), was an instrumental pop album arranged by [[Johnny Pate]]. It quickly sold more than 100,000 copies and repositioned Montgomery within the recording industry as a [[Crossover music|crossover artist]] capable of significant LP sales. At Verve, Montgomery released his last two small-group jazz albums  (a 1965 collaboration with [[Wynton Kelly]], and a 1966 collaboration with organist [[Jimmy Smith (musician)|Jimmy Smith]]), but his main focus was recording contemporary pop hits as instrumentals. Montgomery had notable success with his versions of "[[California Dreamin']]", "[[Tequila (The Champs song)|Tequila]]", and "[[Goin' Out of My Head]]". After moving to [[A&M Records|A&M]], Montgomery had his biggest radio hit, a version of "[[Windy (The Association song)|Windy]]", a pop song originally recorded by [[The Association]]. Of the ten Wes Montgomery albums that Taylor produced while Montgomery was alive (all recorded for Verve and [[A&M Records]]), eight were aimed at the pop market. The success of these albums led to invitations for Montgomery to perform on major U.S. television shows including ''[[The Hollywood Palace]]'' and ''[[The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson]]''.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}

==Death==
Montgomery died of a heart attack on June 15, 1968, while at home in Indianapolis. He was 45 years old.<ref name="obits">{{cite web |title=Wes Montgomery Obituaries |url=http://www.gould68.freeserve.co.uk/wesobits.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019092920/http://www.gould68.freeserve.co.uk/wesobits.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=19 October 2013 |access-date=11 January 2019 |date=19 October 2013}}</ref>[[File:Wes Montgomery (1967).jpg|thumb|Montgomery in 1967]]

==Artistry==
According to jazz guitar educator Wolf Marshall, Montgomery often approached solos in a three-tiered manner: he would begin the progression with single note lines, derived from scales or modes; after a fitting number of sequences, he would play octaves for a few more sequences, finally culminating with block chords. He used mostly superimposed triads and arpeggios as the main source for his soloing ideas and sounds.<ref name="Allmusic" />

Instead of using a guitar pick, Montgomery plucked the strings with the fleshy part of his thumb, using down strokes for single notes and a combination of up strokes and down strokes for chords and octaves.<ref name=":0" /> He developed this technique not for technical reasons but for the benefit of his neighbors and not waking his children. He worked long hours as a machinist before his music career began and practised late at night. To keep everyone happy, he played quietly by using his thumb. This actually worked out well, as he used an amplifier when performing, which allowed him to really exploit his thumb-picking style.<ref>{{cite book |last=Yanow |first=Scott |title=The Great Jazz Guitarists |year=2013 |publisher=Backbeat Books |location=Milwaukee, Wisconsin |isbn=978-1-61713-023-6 |page=140}}</ref> His style smoothly incorporated the guitar into jazz and was studied by many.{{specify|date=November 2024}}

Montgomery was also known for his use of [[octave]]s in his playing. In an interview with music critic [[Ralph J. Gleason]], Montgomery was quoted saying: "Playing octaves was just a coincidence. And it's still such a challenge. I used to have headaches every time I played octaves, because it was extra strain, but the minute I'd quit I'd be alright. I don't know why, but it was my way, and my way just backfired on me. But now I don't have headaches when I play octaves. I'm just showing you how a strain can capture a cat and almost choke him, but after a while it starts to ease up because you get used to it."<ref>Marcus, Arnold. (2011) As quoted from the liner notes of the reissue of ''The Incredible Guitar of Wes Montgomery''</ref>

==Awards and honors==
* Second Place, Readers' Poll, ''Metronome'', 1960<ref name="Ingram" />
* Most Promising Jazz Instrumentalist, ''Billboard'', 1960<ref name="Ingram" />
* Talent Deserving Wider Recognition, ''DownBeat'', 1960<ref name="Ingram" />
* Readers' Poll and Critics' Poll, ''DownBeat'', 1961<ref name="Ingram" />
* Readers' Poll and Critics' Poll, ''DownBeat'', 1962<ref name="Ingram" />
* Best jazz guitarist, ''DownBeat'' magazine Critics' Poll, 1960–63, 1966, 1967<ref name="Williams 2014">{{Cite book|author=David Leander Williams|title=Indianapolis Jazz: The Masters, Legends and Legacy of Indiana Avenue|date=4 February 2014|publisher=Arcadia Publishing Incorporated|isbn=978-1-62584-934-2|page=80}}</ref>
* Grammy Award nominations, (two), ''[[Bumpin' (Wes Montgomery album)|Bumpin']]'', 1965<ref name="Williams 2014" />
* Grammy Award, Best Instrumental Jazz Performance by Large Group or Soloist with Large Group,  ''[[Goin' Out of My Head (album)|Goin' Out of My Head]]'', 1966<ref name="Jet" />
* Jazz Man of the Year, [[Record World]], 1967<ref name="Jet">{{Cite journal|title=Bury Award Winning Artist Wes Montgomery|journal=Jet|date=4 July 1968|publisher=Johnson Publishing Company|pages=56|issn=0021-5996}}</ref>
* Grammy Award nomination, "[[Eleanor Rigby]]" and "Down Here on the Ground", 1968<ref name="Williams 2014" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://grammy.com/awards/11th-annual-grammy-awards|title=11th Annual GRAMMY Awards &#124; GRAMMY.com|website=grammy.com}}</ref>
* Grammy Award nomination, ''[[Willow Weep for Me (album)|Willow Weep for Me]]'', 1969<ref name="Williams 2014" />

==Legacy==
Jazz guitarist [[Bobby Broom]] said that on ''A Dynamic New Sound'' in 1959, Montgomery "introduced a brand new approach to playing the guitar... The octave technique... and his chord melody and chord soloing playing still is today unmatched".<ref name="Ross">{{cite web |last1=Ross |first1=Brian |title=Bobby Broom on Wes Montgomery's 1959 Jazz Guitar Impact |url=http://bobbybroom.com/bobby-broom-on-wes-montgomerys-1959-jazz-guitar-impact/ |website=bobbybroom.com |date=14 April 2013 |access-date=11 January 2019}}</ref> Broom modeled his guitar-organ trio after Montgomery's.<ref name="organ">{{cite web |last1=Ross |first1=Brian |title=Bobby Broom Organi-Sation to Open for Steely Dan Jamalot Ever After Tour 2014 |url=http://bobbybroom.com/bobby-broom-organi-sation-to-open-for-steely-dan-jamalot-ever-after-tour-2014/ |website=bobbybroom.com |access-date=11 January 2019 |archive-date=17 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141017084417/http://bobbybroom.com/bobby-broom-organi-sation-to-open-for-steely-dan-jamalot-ever-after-tour-2014/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Tributes==
[[Stevie Wonder]] wrote two tributes to Montgomery: "Bye Bye World", which appeared on his 1968 album ''[[Eivets Rednow]]'', and "We All Remember Wes", which [[George Benson]] recorded for his 1978 live album ''[[Weekend in L.A.]]''<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/song/sir-duke-mt0059234685 |title=Stevie Wonder: Sir Duke |last=Hogan |first=Ed |website=AllMusic |access-date=January 2, 2022}}</ref>

In 1982, [[Bob James (musician)|Bob James]] and [[Earl Klugh]] collaborated on a duet album and recorded the song "Wes" as a tribute to Montgomery on the album ''[[Two of a Kind (Earl Klugh and Bob James album)|Two of a Kind]]''.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/two-of-a-kind-mw0000622797 | title=Two of a Kind - Bob James, Earl Klugh &#124; Album &#124; AllMusic | website=[[AllMusic]] }}</ref>

Guitarist [[Emily Remler]] released a tribute album to Montgomery in 1988, titled ''[[East to Wes]]''.<ref>Richard Cook and Brian Morton, The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD (Penguin Books Ltd, England, (2004)[1992]: p. 1356, ISBN 0-141-01416-4</ref>

[[Pat Martino]] released ''[[Remember: A Tribute to Wes Montgomery]]'' in 2006.<ref name="Kelman">{{cite web |last1=Kelman |first1=John |title=Pat Martino: Remember: A Tribute to Wes Montgomery |url=https://www.allaboutjazz.com/remember-a-tribute-to-wes-montgomery-pat-martino-blue-note-records-review-by-john-kelman.php |website=All About Jazz |access-date=11 January 2019 |date=21 April 2006}}</ref>

[[Eric Johnson (guitarist)|Eric Johnson]] paid tribute to Montgomery on his 1990 album ''[[Ah Via Musicom]]'' in a song titled "East Wes".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1990/07/13/great-guitar-eric_-johnson-not-clapton/c93509e2-de00-48d8-96f4-0b40c7b91c23 |title=Great Guitar, Eric Johnson, Not Clapton |last=Himes |first=Geoffrey |date=July 13, 1990 | newspaper=Washington Post |access-date=March 1, 2021}}</ref>

Guitarist [[David Becker]] paid tribute to Montgomery on the 1991 album ''[[In Motion (David Becker Tribune album)|In Motion]]'' with the song "Westward Ho".<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/in-motion-mw0000268809 | title=David Becker Tribune - in Motion Album Reviews, Songs & More &#124; AllMusic | website=[[AllMusic]] }}</ref>

[[Lee Ritenour]] recorded a tribute album in 1993, ''[[Wes Bound]]'', that contained Montgomery covers and some originals by Ritenour.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/wes-bound-mw0000117209 | title=Wes Bound - Lee Ritenour &#124; Album &#124; AllMusic | website=[[AllMusic]] }}</ref> While the production and arrangements are typical for the time, he performed the entire album in Montgomery's style on a [[Gibson L-5]] model.{{according to whom|date=November 2024}}

Guitarist [[Joe Diorio]] released a tribute album in 1998, ''I Remember You: A Tribute to Wes Montgomery''.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.discogs.com/release/9663767-Joe-Diorio-I-Remember-You-A-Tribute-To-Wes-Montgomery | title=Joe Diorio - I Remember You - A Tribute to Wes Montgomery | website=[[Discogs]] | date=1998 }}</ref>

==Discography==
{{Main|Wes Montgomery discography}}

=== As leader ===
'''Lifetime'''
{{col-begin}}{{col-2}}
* 1959 ''[[The Wes Montgomery Trio]]'' ([[Riverside Records|Riverside]], 1959)
* 1960 ''[[The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery]]'' (Riverside, 1960)
* 1960 ''[[Movin' Along]]'' (Riverside, 1960)
* 1961 ''[[So Much Guitar]]'' (Riverside, 1961)
* 1961 ''[[Bags Meets Wes!]]'' with [[Milt Jackson]] (Riverside, 1962)
* 1962 ''[[Full House (jazz album)|Full House]]'' (Riverside, 1962)
* 1959-63 ''[[Guitar on the Go]]'' (Riverside, 1963)
* 1963 ''[[Boss Guitar]]'' (Riverside, 1963)
* 1963 ''[[Fusion! Wes Montgomery with Strings]]'' (Riverside, 1963)
* 1963 ''[[Portrait of Wes]]'' (Riverside, 1966)
* 1964 ''[[Movin' Wes]]'' ([[Verve Records|Verve]], 1964)
* 1965 ''[[Bumpin' (Wes Montgomery album)|Bumpin']]'' (Verve, 1965)
* 1965 ''[[Willow Weep for Me (album)|Willow Weep for Me]]'' (Verve, 1969)
* 1965 ''[[Smokin' at the Half Note]]'' with [[Wynton Kelly]] (Verve, 1965)
* 1966 ''[[Goin' Out of My Head (album)|Goin' Out of My Head]]'' (Verve, 1965)
* 1966 ''[[California Dreaming (Wes Montgomery album)|California Dreaming]]'' (Verve, 1966)
* 1966 ''[[Tequila (Wes Montgomery album)|Tequila]]'' (Verve, 1966)
* 1966 ''[[Jimmy & Wes: The Dynamic Duo]]'' with [[Jimmy Smith (musician)|Jimmy Smith]] (Verve, 1966)
* 1966 ''[[Further Adventures of Jimmy and Wes]]'' with Jimmy Smith (Verve, 1969)
* 1967 ''[[A Day in the Life (Wes Montgomery album)|A Day in the Life]]'' ([[A&M Records|A&M]], 1967)
* 1967-68 ''[[Down Here on the Ground]]'' (A&M, 1968)
* 1968 ''[[Road Song]]'' (A&M, 1968)<ref name="AM discog">{{cite web |title=Wes Montgomery {{!}} Album Discography |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/wes-montgomery-mn0000248392/discography |website=AllMusic |access-date=10 January 2019 }}</ref><ref name="Official discog">{{cite web |title=Discography {{!}} Wes Montgomery |url=http://www.wesmontgomery.com/discography/ |website=wesmontgomery.com |access-date=10 January 2019}}</ref>
{{col-2}}
'''With [[Buddy Montgomery]] and [[Monk Montgomery]]'''
* 1958 ''The Montgomery Brothers and Five Others'' (Pacific Jazz)
* 1958 The Mastersounds, ''[[Kismet (The Mastersounds album)|Kismet]]'' (World Pacific)
* 1960 ''Montgomeryland'' (Pacific Jazz)
* 1960 ''[[The Montgomery Brothers]]'' ([[Fantasy Records|Fantasy]])
* 1961 ''[[George Shearing and the Montgomery Brothers]]'' ([[Jazzland Records (American record label)|Jazzland]])
* 1961 ''[[The Montgomery Brothers in Canada]]'' (Fantasy)
* 1961 ''[[Groove Yard]]'' (Riverside)
{{col-end}}
'''Posthumous'''
* ''[[The Alternative Wes Montgomery]]'' ([[Milestone Records|Milestone]], 1982)
* ''[[Far Wes]]'' (Capitol, 1990) –  compilation
* ''[[Fingerpickin']]'' (Capitol, 1996) – compilation
* ''Echoes of Indiana Avenue'' ([[Resonance Records|Resonance]], 2012)
* ''Live at the Turf Club 1956'' with the Montgomery–Johnson Quintet (Resonance, 2014) <small>[RSD 10" LP, Limited Edition]</small>
* ''In the Beginning'' (Resonance, 2015)
* ''[[One Night in Indy]]'' (Resonance, 2016)
* ''Smokin' in Seattle: Live at the Penthouse'' (Resonance, 2017)
* ''In Paris: The Definitive ORTF Recording'' (Resonance, 2018)<ref name="AM discog" /><ref name="Official discog" />
* ''Back on Indiana Avenue (The Carroll DeCamp Recordings)'' (Resonance, 2019)
* ''Maximum Swing: The Unissued 1965 Half Note Recordings'' (Resonance, 2023)

=== As sideman ===
* [[Jon Hendricks]], ''[[A Good Git-Together]]'' (Pacific Jazz, 1959)
* [[Cannonball Adderley]], ''[[Cannonball Adderley and the Poll-Winners]]'' (Riverside, 1960)
* [[Nat Adderley]], ''[[Work Song (Nat Adderley album)|Work Song]]'' (Riverside, 1960)
* [[Harold Land]],  ''[[West Coast Blues!]]'' (Jazzland, 1960)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.wesmontgomery.com Official site]
* [https://www.jazzguitar.be/blog/wes-montgomery-jazz-guitar-licks/ Examples of Montgomery's licks and signature patterns]
* [http://www.fergusonguitar.com/wes.html "Wes Montgomery Unedited"] by [[Jim Ferguson]], compiled from his ''Guitar Player'' magazine article (August 1993), his ''[[JazzTimes]]'' article "The Genius of Wes Montgomery" (August 1995), and his liner notes from ''[[Wes Montgomery: The Complete Riverside Recordings]]'' (1992)
* [https://worldwidewoodshed.com/2017/11/wes-montgomery-the-king-of-octaves/ "Wes Montgomery - The King of Octaves"] - analysis and transcription of Road Song solo.
* [https://attictoys.com/wes-montgomery-discography/ Comprehensive and regularly updated Discography of Wes Montgomery].
* [https://attictoys.com/wes-montgomery-compositions/ Compositions of Wes Montgomery].
* {{discogs artist|Wes Montgomery}}
* {{IMDb name|0599948}}
* [https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/2425/wes-montgomery/ Find a Grave - Wes Montgomery]
{{Montgomery Brothers|state=autocollapse}}{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Montgomery, Wes}}
[[Category:1923 births]]
[[Category:1968 deaths]]
[[Category:Guitarists from Indiana]]
[[Category:Musicians from Indianapolis]]
[[Category:20th-century American guitarists]]
[[Category:African-American jazz guitarists]]
[[Category:A&M Records artists]]
[[Category:American jazz guitarists]]
[[Category:Grammy Award winners]]
[[Category:Riverside Records artists]]
[[Category:Verve Records artists]]
[[Category:Montgomery Brothers members]]
[[Category:CTI Records artists]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American musicians]]
[[Category:Crispus Attucks High School alumni]]
[[Category:DownBeat Jazz Hall of Fame members]]