Chris Montez
| Chris Montez | |
|---|---|
Montez in March 1967
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Ezekiel Christopher Montanez |
| Born |
January 17, 1943 Los Angeles, California, USA |
| Genres | Rock, standards |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, musician |
| Instruments | Guitar, vocals |
| Years active | 1962–74 |
| Labels | A&M, Monogram, Columbia |
| Website | chrismontez |
Chris Montez (born Ezekiel Christopher Montanez on January 17, 1943) is an American guitarist and vocalist, whose stylistic approach has ranged from rock & roll to pop standards and Latin music. His rock sound is exemplified in songs such as his 1962 hit "Let's Dance", which reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. When his early music's popularity began to fade, he switched to a more traditional role as a popular singer of soft ballads, scoring a hit with "Call Me" in 1966. He has also recorded in Latin styles. Over the intervening years, he has continued to work in all three modes.
Montez grew up in Hawthorne, California, influenced by the Latino-flavored music of his community and the success of Ritchie Valens. He studied music composition at El Camino College.
In 1962, he recorded the single "Let's Dance" on Monogram Records (written and produced by Jim Lee). It went to No.4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US and to No.2 on the UK Singles Chart (spending four weeks there). The follow-up, "Some Kinda Fun", was a lesser hit in the U.S., but reached No.10 in the U.K. in January 1963. Nonetheless, both records sold over one million copies, and were awarded gold discs.
Montez toured with Clyde McPhatter, Sam Cooke, The Platters, and Smokey Robinson and the Miracles.The Beatles opened London, York and Northampton concerts for him while Montez was performing with Tommy Roe. Montez commented "Who are these guys The Beatles? I try to keep up with the British scene, but I don't know their work".
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