By Danny Coleman
originally published: 05/07/2016
"Every musician has a moment and if you're a musician you know what I'm talking about. Mine was when I was 15 years old and I saw this guy playing harmonica; that was my moment. He was in a band called "Uptown Horns," he invited me up to play sometime later and we're still playing together 51 years later; it was a definite seminal moment for me."
That was the beginning of a journey for blues harpist James Montgomery, currently of the Johnny Winter Band. "I spent a lot of time in and near Detroit, which had a very healthy blues scene. There was this coffee house and I saw the greats there, Jr. Wells, Muddy Waters, James Cotton; when I was 19 I played with John Lee Hooker there. I was bitten by the blues bug and I hope the swelling never goes away!"
Montgomery's list of stage partners since those early appearances also includes Aerosmith, The J. Geils Band, Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Springsteen, The Steve Miller Band, The Blues Brothers and The Allman Brothers Band. "Gosh, when I think about it, I've been so very fortunate. When I look back on it, so many great gigs and to try and pick a favorite is impossible (laughs). A couple that really stand out for me though were the ones I did with Muddy Waters and then I always love the gigs where you lose yourself in the music. I love when the band is having one of those good nights where everything is just meshing and flowing together; of course the audiences help. I remember one gig back in the 70's at the Trenton, NJ fairgrounds with the Allman Brothers; wow! I mean there had to be 175,000 people there; it was impossible not to have a good night! I love when the audiences love you back."
Montgomery is no slouch when it comes to academia either. While attending Boston University where he earned a degree in English, he formed the James Montgomery Band and quickly became one of the hottest acts in the New England music scene. Even while at B.U. his junior year was interrupted by the Colwell-Winfield Blues Band as they hired him to tour with them as they opened for Janis Joplin.
As was stated earlier, this is a journey for Montgomery and he currently has several irons in the fire. "I've got a new CD in the works which Paul Nelson is producing; it's kind of a tip of the hat to Paul Butterfield. It's seven of Paul Butterfield's tunes and four new originals of mine. I've got Grace Kelly on sax and Jimmy Vavino of Conan O'Brien's band and of course the Uptown Horns on the record. I'm also part of a documentary about James Cotton, "Workhorse," promoting the Johnny Winter Band, there's a documentary in the works about Paul Butterfield that will hopefully accompany the CD release down the road. There's an old movie that I was involved in with Morgan Freeman that's being re-released and since 1972 I've been involved with veterans charities; so things are always happening."
Although he has all of that talent working on his upcoming release; James says that he'll put his band up against any other. "I have arguably one of the best bands in the country," he stated emphatically. "I've got David Hall on bass and he's played with Buddy Miles, I've got George McCann on guitar and he's played with Steven Tyler and Billy Squire and Chuck Thompson of Bellevue Cadillac on drums; I'll put these guys up against anyone."
So what does the future hold for James Montgomery? According to this energetic rocker it's all of the above and more. "The band and I; we like to stay busy. We love to work at least 150 gigs a year or more if possible. Hey, at my age you don't want time off; I can't ever gig enough (laughs)!"
Those humble beginnings hanging around those Detroit blues clubs paid off for James Montgomery and to discover more; please visit
www.jamesmontgomery.com.
That's it for this week! Please continue to support live and original music and until next week....ROCK ON!
This week's event listings
Amalfi's Restaurant146 Lawrenceville-Pennington Rd. Lawrenceville
(609) 912-1599
Fri. 8:30 p.m. Take Five
Sat. 8:30 p.m. The Drunk Monkeys "Fan Appreciation Night"
Amarones Windsor Inn29 Church St. Windsor
(609) 448-7144
Thurs. 6:30 p.m. Ottmar
Fri. 8 p.m. Sounds Of The Street
Sat. 8 p.m. Meg Hanson Group Feat. Billy Hill
Blend Bar & Bistro911 Highway 33, Hamilton
(609) 245-8887
Tues. 8 p.m. Triviajam
Backstage at Championship Bar 931 Chambers St. Trenton
Sat. 5 p.m. Era Of Discord, Ketosis, 13:1, Failing Light, The Unknown, General Collection, Emerge A Tyrant. All ages, $10
Sun. 4 p.m. Guttersnipe, Queensway, Year Of The Knife, Tourniquet, Prospect, Ma$e, Sick Shit, Third Rail. All ages, $10
Bowman's Tavern1600 River Road, New Hope, PA
(215) 862-2972
Fri. 8 p.m. Bob Egan
Sat. 8 p.m. David Dales Trio
Sun. (12 p.m.) Ottmar (6 p.m.) Lorenzo
Mon. 6 p.m. Andy Prescott
Tues. 6 p.m. Jonathan Ashe
Wed. 6 p.m. John & Maggs
Candlelight Lounge 24 Passaic St. Trenton
(609) 695-9612
Sat. 3 p.m. Daryl Yokley Sax Quartet. $10 (cover charge)
Chickie's & Pete's183 US Highway 130 North Bordentown
(609) 298-9182
Tues. 8 p.m. Acoustic Music Night feat. The Dawgs
Wed. 9 p.m. Quizzo Trivia
City Streets510 Route 130 South East Windsor
(609) 426-9400
Fri. 9 p.m. Kindred Spirit
Sat. 9:30 p.m. The Kim Yarson Band
Cream Ridge Winery145 Route 539, Allentown
Sat. 1 p.m. John & Maggs
Dempster's Pub437 Pine Street Mount Holly
(609) 261-0500
Thurs. 8:30 p.m. DJ DNIAL
Fri. 9 p.m. DJ Chris
Dog & Bull Brew House810 Bristol Pike (Rte. 13) Croydon, PA.
(215) 788-2855
Fri. (4 p.m.) "Happy Hour Jam" feat. David Dzubinski Group (9 p.m.) Deb & Mike
Sat. (11 a.m.) "Saturday Brunch Jam" feat. David Dzubinski Group (9 p.m.) New Pony
Sun. (11 a.m.) "Sunday Brunch" feat. Keli Vale Jazz Duo (3 p.m.) Brian Cono
Wed. 8 p.m. Mark Macmanus
Fran's Pub116 S. Main St. New Hope, PA.
(215)862-5539
Mon. 8 p.m. Open Blues Jam
All shows 21+
Halo Pub 4617 Nottingham Way, Hamilton
(609) 586-1811
Sat. 7 p.m. DarlaRich Trio
Havana New Hope105 S. Main Street. New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-9897
Fri. 8 p.m. "A celebration of the Music of KISS" feat. Rock and Roll Over. Doors at 6 p.m., $10
Sat. 8:30 p.m. 52 Pickup
Tues. 9 p.m. Karaoke
Wed. 8 p.m. "Live and Local" Hosted by Pat Foran
Hopewell Valley Vineyards46 Yard Avenue Pennington
(609) 737-4465
Fri. 6 p.m. The Lifters
Sat. 6 p.m. Lou Davelman
Sun. 2 p.m."Jazzy Sundays" feat. Piano, Bass and Jazz
Iron Plow Vineyards26750 Mount Pleasant Rd., Columbus
(732) 306-9111
Fri. 6 p.m. "Jazz Night" feat. Keith Franklin Duo
Sat. 2 p.m. John & Carm
Sun. 1 p.m. Greg Parker
Ivy Tavern 3108 S. Broad Street, Hamilton
(609) 888-1435
Thurs. 9 p.m. Karaoke
Fri. 10 p.m. The Ernie White Band
Sat. 10 p.m. Soul Custody
All shows 21+
John & Peter's 96 S. Main Street New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-5981
Fri. 9 p.m. Jerry Fiess & Friends
Sat. (3 p.m.) Fellaheen w/ Lily Vakili (9 p.m.) Eric Sommer
Sun. 9 p.m. HiveLords, Heavy Temple, Acolytes
Mon. 9 p.m. Open Mic. Night w/ Tim
Tues. 9 p.m. Matt Setzer
Wed. 9:30 p.m. The Invitational
All shows 21+
JoJo's Tavern2677 Nottingham Way Hamilton
(609) 586-2678
Wed. 10 p.m. Karaoke
Laurita Winery85 Archertown Road, New Egypt
(609) 752-0200
Fri. 7 p.m. "Awesome 80's Dance Party"
Sat. 1 p.m. Jeff Yuskevich
Sun. 1 p.m. Ben Weiner Duo
Wed. 6 p.m. "Girls Night Out"
McStews Irish Sports Pub5316 New Falls Rd Levittown, PA
(215) 949-9570
Thurs. 10:30 p.m."Beer Pong" w/ DJ Codie
Fri. 10 p.m. 42
Sat. 9 p.m. "Saturday Night Dance Party" w/ DJ OXX
Tues. 7 p.m. Quizzo hosted by Mike
Millhill Basement300 S. Broad Street Trenton
(609) 989-1600
Tues. 10 p.m. "Local Artist" Hip Hop, Experimental EDM and Bass Music Showcase
O'Connor's American Bar & Grille1383 Monmouth Road, Easthampton Mt. Holly
(609) 261-1555
Fri. 9:30 p.m. Ryche Chlanda & Danny Coleman
Sat. 9:30 p.m. Dave Murray Duo
Olde Liberty Tavern2114 Liberty Street, Trenton
(609) 396-2262
Sat. 9 p.m. Open Mic. Night
Palermo's Of Hamilton310 Klockner Rd. Hamilton
(609) 838-7979
Thurs. 9 p.m. Karaoke
All shows 21+
Patriot's Crossing1339 River Rd. Titusville
(609) 737-2780
Fri. 8 p.m. Just Us
Sat. 8 p.m. Chris and Tommy's Good Time Show
Randy Now's Man Cave134 Farnsworth Avenue Bordentown
(609) 424-3766
Please check website for upcoming events
RHO Waterfront50 Riverview Plaza Trenton
(609) 393-7300
Thurs. 10 p.m. "College Night" w/ DJ Paul Desisto. Doors at 9 p.m. Ages 21+
Fri. (4:30 p.m.) Happy Hour Buffet. $10 (8:30 p.m.) Amazin' Grace Little Band
Sat. 9 p.m. "RHO Blackout Party" feat. DJ B-Nice & Hot 97, Heavy Hitters DJ Wallah!!!, w/ performance by Milly Rock. Ages 21+, $20 (with a college ID)/$30 (without college ID)
Tara's Tavern 1 Cookstown-New Egypt Road, Wrightstown
(609) 286-2300
Fri. 9 p.m. Karaoke w/ Big Daddy G
Sat. 10 p.m. Boys Round Here
Tavern On The Lake101 Main St. Hightstown
(609) 426-9345
Fri. 9 p.m. El Ka Bong
Sat. 9 p.m. ArHouse
Wed. 8 p.m. Karaoke Night
The HOB Tavern146 Second Street
(609) 291-7020
Sat. 9 p.m. Karaoke
Tues. 9 p.m. Open Mic. Night
Wed. 8:30 p.m. (TBA)
The Ivy Inn248 Nassau St. Princeton
(609) 921-8555
Thurs. 10 p.m. Karaoke w/ DJ Ron
Fri. 10 p.m. DJ Fatha Ramzee
Sat. 10 p.m. The Goods
Tues. 8 p.m. Quizzo w/ Bob E Luv
Wed. 10 p.m. "Wednesday Wheel Night Spin To Win Karaoke" w/ DJ Rockn Ron
The Record Collector 358 Farnsworth Avenue, Bordentown
(609) 324-0880
Fri. 8 p.m. Dean Friedman. All ages, doors at 7:30 p.m., $25 (advance)
Sat. 8 p.m. The Grip Weeds. All ages, doors at 7:30 p.m., $12 (advance)
The Roost 181 Rte. 539 Cream Ridge
(609) 208-0050
Fri. 9 p.m. No Way Out
Sat. 9 p.m. Let's Be Frank
The Sticky Wicket 2465 South Broad St. Hamilton
(609) 439-0007
Fri. 9 p.m. Forecast
Sat. 9 p.m. Run For Cover
The Sun National Bank Center 81 Hamilton Ave. Trenton
(609) 656-3200
Check website for upcoming events
Tir Na Nog 1324 Hamilton Ave. Trenton
(609) 392-2554
Fri. 9 p.m. Oliver McElhone
Sat. 9 p.m. Mike Nabinger
Tues. 9 p.m. Open Mic. w/ Taylor Reed
All shows 21+
Trenton Buzz702 Pine St. Trenton
(609) 392-6000
Fri. 8 p.m. Live Band & Open Mic.
Trenton Social449 South Broad Street Trenton
(609) 989-7777
Fri. 4 p.m. First Friday
Mon. 9 p.m. Monday Night Karaoke w/ Benny P
Tues. 7 p.m. Open Mic. Night
Triumph Brewing Company (New Hope, Pa. Location)
400 Union Square New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-8300
Thurs. 8 p.m. Trivia
Fri. 10 p.m. Fooling April ($5 cover charge)
Sat. (1 p.m.) "Derby Party" w/ Midnight Flyer (10 p.m.) Jeremiah Tall, Former Belle, The Lawsuits($5 cover charge)
Sun. 7 p.m. Open Jam Night (Sign ups 6:30 p.m. at hostess stand)
All shows 21+
Wildflowers Inn2572 Pennington Rd. Pennington
Sat. 9 p.m. Acoustic Rock
All shows 21+
Danny Coleman is a veteran musician and writer from central New Jersey. He hosts a weekly radio program entitled 'Rock On Radio' airing Sunday evenings at 7:00pm EST on ThePenguinRocks.com where he features indie/original bands and solo artists.
