Little Brother Montgomery

A pianist whose touch left its mark on Sunnyland Slim and Otis Spann alike, Little Brother Montgomery moved through blues history from its earliest chapters into the amplified Chicago circuit of the 1950s. School had already lost out to music by the time he turned eleven, when he began working the Louisiana juke-joint circuit. He reached Chicago by 1926 and cut his debut 78s four years later for Paramount in Grafton, Wisconsin; those sides included the lasting signatures “Vicksburg Blues” and “No Special Rider.” Bluebird captured him more extensively during 1935–1936 sessions held in New Orleans.

Montgomery made Chicago his permanent base in 1942, sustaining himself with regular club work that mixed blues and traditional jazz; in 1949 he joined Kid Ory’s Dixieland ensemble for a Carnegie Hall appearance. His sensitive backing supported Otis Rush on several Cobra recordings from 1957–1958, and Buddy Guy later called on him to reprise the pianist’s own “First Time I Met the Blues” for a charged Chess version in 1960. That same year Montgomery issued a strong Bluesville album featuring guitarist Lafayette “Thing” Thomas, still counted among his most rewarding collections.

In 1969 he and his second wife, Janet Floberg, launched their own FM label. Its inaugural 45 naturally revisited “Vicksburg Blues,” this time with Chicago chanteuse Jeanne Carroll on vocals; her daughter Karen later traced a similar path through Windy City clubs.