Little Brother Montgomery(1906-1985)
- Soundtrack
Blues piano player Little Brother Montgomery was born Eurreal
Montgomery in 1906 in Kentwood, LA. He learned to play the piano by
watching the piano players who performed in his father's "barrelhouse",
and picked up the nickname "Little Brother Harper" (later shortened to
just "Little Brother", and still later lengthened to "Little Brother
Montgomery"). He has claimed that he left home at 11 years of age and
traveled all over the South as a piano player, performing in every
place from small clubs and house-rent parties to brothels and logging
camps, and pretty much everything in between, specializing in blues,
jazz and boogie-woogie. He eventually got jobs playing with such blues
figures as Clarence Desdunes and The Joyland Revelers. In 1930 he
recorded some songs for Paramount Records. He expanded his "territory"
to Chicago and New Orleans, but returned home to Louisiana and then
moved to Jackson, MS, in the early 1930s. He resumed recording in 1935
after signing a contract with Bluebird Records. He returned to Chicago
in 1942 and recorded for several smaller labels that catered to the
African-American market. He gained a reputation as a first-rate session
man and played on recordings by such artists as
Sippie Wallace, Minnie Hicks and Irene
Suggs. He kept his performing confined mostly to the Chicago area for
the next four decades, although he did do some touring and played blues
and jazz festivals around the country. He still did session work in
Chicago, playing with such singers as
Otis Rush and
Magic Sam.
In 1966 he formed his own label, FM Records (the "F" was for his wife, Janet Floberg), but most of the label's releases were of albums by Montgomery and his wife. He recorded his final album in 1982.
He died in Chicago, IL, in 1985.
In 1966 he formed his own label, FM Records (the "F" was for his wife, Janet Floberg), but most of the label's releases were of albums by Montgomery and his wife. He recorded his final album in 1982.
He died in Chicago, IL, in 1985.