Little Brother Montgomery
| Little Brother Montgomery | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Eurreal Wilford Montgomery |
| Born |
April 18, 1906 Kentwood, Louisiana, United States |
| Died | September 6, 1985 (aged 79) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Genres |
Jazz Blues Boogie-woogie |
| Occupation(s) |
Pianist Vocalist |
| Instruments |
Vocals Piano |
| Labels | Earwig Music |
| Associated acts |
Lil Hardin Armstrong Buddy Petit Skip James Spanky and Our Gang |
Eurreal Wilford "Little Brother" Montgomery (April 18, 1906 – September 6, 1985) was an American jazz, boogie-woogie and blues pianist and singer.
Largely self-taught, Montgomery was an important blues pianist with an original style. He was also versatile, working in jazz bands, including larger ensembles that used written arrangements. He did not read music but learned band routines by ear; once through an arrangement and he had it memorized.
Montgomery was born in Kentwood, Louisiana, a sawmill town near the Mississippi border, across Lake Pontchartrain from New Orleans, where he spent much of his childhood. Both his parents were of African-American and Creek Indian ancestry. As a child he looked like his father, Harper Montgomery, and was called Little Brother Harper. The name evolved into Little Brother Montgomery, and the nickname stuck. He started playing piano at the age of 4, and by age 11 he was playing at barrelhouses in Louisiana. His musical influence was Jelly Roll Morton, who used to visit the Montgomery household.
Early in his career he performed at African-American lumber and turpentine camps in Louisiana, Arkansas, and Mississippi. He then played with the bands of Clarence Desdunes and Buddy Petit. He lived in Chicago from 1928 to 1931, where he made his first recordings. From 1931 through 1938 he led a band in Jackson, Mississippi.
In 1942 Montgomery moved back to Chicago, which would be his base for the rest of his life, with various tours to other cities in the US and Europe. In the late 1950s he was discovered by wider white audiences. He toured briefly with Otis Rush in 1956. His fame grew in the 1960s, and he continued to make many recordings, including on his own record label, FM Records, which he formed in 1969 (FM stood for Floberg [the maiden name of his wife] and Montgomery).
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