Little Brother Montgomery

American musician
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

Print
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

Also known as: Eurreal Wilford Montgomery
Quick Facts
Byname of:
Eurreal Wilford Montgomery
Born:
April 18, 1906, Kentwood, Louisiana, U.S.
Died:
September 6, 1985, Chicago, Illinois (aged 79)

Little Brother Montgomery (born April 18, 1906, Kentwood, Louisiana, U.S.—died September 6, 1985, Chicago, Illinois) was a major American blues artist who was also an outstanding jazz pianist and vocalist. He co-wrote “The Forty-Fours,” a complex composition for piano that is a staple of the blues repertoire.

A self-taught musician from a musical family, Montgomery dropped out of school and left home at age 11. He traveled in small towns, lumber camps, and cities in Louisiana, Arkansas, and Mississippi, playing in taverns and barrelhouses, usually as a soloist and blues singer, and also with jazz and dance bands or with blues guitarists. In 1928 he moved to Chicago, where he played at house-rent parties (parties thrown to raise rent money) and made his first recordings, including “Vicksburg Blues,” his own version of “The Forty-Fours,” in 1930. The next year he relocated to Jackson, Mississippi, where he formed a band, the Southland Troubadors (also called the Collegiate Ramblers), that played in ballrooms throughout the South. On one day in 1936 he recorded 18 solos and vocals, including the original versions of his standards “Shreveport Farewell” and “The First Time I Met the Blues.”

After resettling in Chicago in 1942, Montgomery’s graceful New Orleans-style swing and uncommonly wide repertoire—encompassing blues, boogie-woogie, ragtime, popular songs, and jazz standards—made him a popular pianist in traditional jazz groups. In 1948 he played in Kid Ory’s band at Carnegie Hall. He accompanied classic blues singer Edith Wilson and modern Chicago blues artists such as Buddy Guy and Otis Rush on records, but he appeared most often as a solo performer or leader of his own groups. He also became a popular attraction on international tours and at jazz and blues festivals. Montgomery was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2013.

USA 2006 - 78th Annual Academy Awards. Closeup of giant Oscar statue at the entrance of the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Hompepage blog 2009, arts and entertainment, film movie hollywood
Britannica Quiz
Pop Culture Quiz
The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.