Monte Montgomery played at Cheatham Street Warehouse on July 15. Named one of the Top 50 Guitarists in America, Monte Montgomery lives up to the title. He plays with a blend of technical skill and emotion that makes him mesmerizing to behold.
Photo by Celeste Cook
The Full Monte
When you get the chance to see a Texas music legend like Monte Montgomery, by all means go see him. If you get the chance to see him in a dance hall like Cheatham Street Warehouse, count yourself among the lucky few.
Named one of the Top 50 All-Time Greatest Guitar Players by “Guitar Magazine,” Montgomery has the chops to strut around a stage like he’s the greatest thing to happen to guitars since Yngwie Malmsteen. Instead, he keeps it heart-toheart, playing to crowds so intimate, people can call his name from the audience to request a song, and he will play it.
Montgomery’s mother Maggie — also a Hill Country folk-singer and guitarist — taught him the first chords on his guitar when he was 13. Ever since, Montgomery has been a defining voice in the Austin music scene. Though he gained nationwide popularity in 1999 after performing on Austin City Limits, Montgomery continues to play it close to home, launching a year-long Texas tour that will branch occasionally into Oklahoma and Arkansas.
Montgomery favors acoustic over electric guitars. For most of his shows, it’s just him and his love-lorn 80s Alvarez guitar. He plays it with fluid dexterity and percussive dynamics. His vocals and his guitar-style flow like a sandy river, full of subtle power and resonance. As a lyricist, he’s a storyteller sharing observations about things he’s picked up along his journey. Near the end of the show, he sang a tribute to his mother titled “Luckenbach Songbird” — his first time to play it live — and dang near everyone in the place cried.
Monte Montgomery plays a show that is at once technically brilliant and down to earth. He’s one to watch every time he comes to town, or even close. Here is a list of upcoming tour dates, so you can go and hear the legend for yourself: July 30 Denton Dans Silverleaf Aug. 3, 2023 The Woodlands Dosey Doe Birthday Bash Aug. 11 Dallas Granada Theater Birthday Bash Aug. 18 San Antonio Natural Bridge Caverns Aug. 25 Austin Antone’s Birthday Bash Aug. 27 Denton Dans Silverleaf Sep. 2 Waco Texas Music Cafe Sep. 9 Tulsa, OK The Shrine Sep. 15 Dallas Poor David’s Pub Sep. 22 Fayetteville, Ark. West Street Live @ Walton Arts Center
