The James Montgomery Band

Born around 1950 in Detroit, Michigan, the harmonica-playing vocalist Montgomery drew deeply on African-American musical traditions despite his own background. While enrolled at Boston University he assembled a group in 1970 that quickly gained traction in the local scene. During those formative years he occasionally collaborated, sometimes in casual settings, with established blues figures including James Cotton, John Lee Hooker and Junior Wells. Time spent in Chicago clubs proved invaluable as he navigated an environment where white performers often faced skepticism; there Paul Butterfield offered crucial encouragement. Although he later performed in rock and funk ensembles, the blues remained an indelible influence that continued to shape his style as his career progressed. He launched the East Coast Funkbusters alongside Alex Taylor, appeared with Dan Aykroyd in the Blues Brothers, and performed in an All-Star Blues Brothers Band. Additional affiliations included stints with Commander Cody And His Lost Planet Airmen, work as a backing musician for Delbert McClinton, and featured solo appearances alongside Johnny Winter.

For more than thirty years Montgomery has fronted his own ensemble, whose rotating membership has featured guitarists Marc Copley, Jeff Golub, Wayne Kramer, Jeff Pevar, Nunzio Signore, Billy Squier and Matt Woodburn, keyboardist Tom West, bassist David Hull, and drummers Bobby Chouinard, Jim McCarty and Marty Richards. Beyond performing he actively advocates for the blues via educational programs and radio programming. His songbook encompasses “Back From The Dead,” “Mystery,” “Nobody Could Love You,” “Back On My Knees Again,” “Sinkin’ Blues,” “Miss You,” “Ramblin’ Man” and “Smokey’s Barbecue.”