Vincent Montana, Jr.
| Vince Montana | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Vincent Montana Jr. |
| Born |
February 12, 1928 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Died | April 13, 2013 (aged 85) Cherry Hill, New Jersey, United States |
| Genres | Jazz, soul, disco |
| Occupation(s) | Percussionist, arranger, bandleader, composer |
| Years active | c.1950 - 2000s |
| Labels | Salsoul, Atlantic, Philly Sound Works |
| Associated acts | MFSB, The Salsoul Orchestra |
Vincent Montana Jr. (February 12, 1928 – April 13, 2013), known as Vince Montana, was an American composer, arranger, and percussionist, best known as a member of MFSB and as the founder of the Salsoul Orchestra. He has been called "the Godfather of disco".
Montana was born in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and grew up in an Italian-American neighborhood. He began playing drums as a child and soon took up other percussion instruments, including the glockenspiel and marimba. By the late 1940s, he regularly played in nightclubs with jazz musicians such as Charlie Parker, Sarah Vaughan, Clifford Brown and Red Garland. He then spent time as a musician in Las Vegas hotels, accompanying and arranging for Harry Belafonte, Louis Prima and others. He returned to Philadelphia in the late 1950s, playing vibraphone on Frankie Avalon's 1959 hit "Venus", as well as recordings by Chubby Checker, Bobby Rydell and others. Around the same time, he started to be featured regularly on the nationally syndicated TV talk show, The Mike Douglas Show.
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