8350 - COCO MONTOYA - THE BEST OF COCO MONTOYA THE ALLIGATOR RECORDS YEARS (2014)

COCO MONTOYA
''THE BEST OF COCO MONTOYA THE ALLIGATOR RECORDS YEARS''
2014
78:37

1 I Need Your Love In My Life 04:01
2 You Didn't Think About That 03:54
3 Trading One Fool For Another 05:21
4 Last Dirty Deal 03:50
5 Enough Is Enough 04:01
6 It's My Own Tears 05:57
7 Back In A Cadillac 03:25
8 Coin Operated Love 04:29
9 It's All Your Fault 06:37
10 Running Away From Love 04:36
11 Love Gotcha 03:19
12 Can't See The Streets For My Tears 05:40
13 Women Have A Way With A Fool 04:26
14 It Takes Time 04:47
15 Three Sides To Every Story 03:56
16 Nothing But Love 05:00
17 Get Your Business Straight 05:08

REVIEW
By The Alligator Records
ONLY AVAILABLE AS A DIGITAL DOWNLOAD
Over 78 minutes of essential tracks from Coco Montoya’s Alligator releases. Over the course of his 37-year career, Montoya’s soaring, explosive guitar playing and soul-driven voice have propelled him to the upper reaches of the blues-rock world. From his early days as Albert Collin’s protégé and guitarist with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers to his current status as one of the top-drawing artists on the scene, Coco has forged his stellar reputation through years of hard work and constant touring. His huge tone and intense stringwork ignite blues-rock gems like You Didn’t Think About That, Enough Is Enough and Get Your Business Straight.

BIOGRAPHY
by Richard Skelly (AMG)
Though he grew up as a drummer and was raised on rock & roll, Coco Montoya became an outstanding blues guitarist after stints in the bands of Albert Collins and John Mayall. Montoya debuted as a leader in 1995 with the Blind Pig album Gotta Mind to Travel and garnered an award for Best New Blues Artist at the following year's W.C. Handy Awards ceremonies.
Born in Santa Monica, Montoya played drums for a local rock band that toured the region during the mid-'70s, playing in area clubs. Although he had recently been turned on to blues at an Albert King show, he was somewhat unprepared to sit in with another blues legend -- "the Iceman" Albert Collins -- when a bar-owner friend of Montoya invited the bluesman to play at his nightclub. Though his inexperience showed, the young drummer impressed Collins enough to hire him for a Pacific Northwest tour three months later. The tour soon ended, but the pair's affiliation remained for more than five years, while Montoya learned much about the handling of blues guitar from "the Master of the Telecaster."
By the early '80s, Coco Montoya was back in the small-time nightclub business, playing guitar with several regional bands. At one night's show, he realized that John Mayall was in the audience, so he dedicated a cover of "All Your Love" to the British blues maestro. The song prompted Mayall to hire Montoya as lead guitarist for a new version of the Bluesbreakers he had formed. Despite the enormous pressure of filling a spot once held by Eric Clapton and Peter Green, Montoya jumped at the opportunity.

His first album with the Bluesbreakers came in 1985. Mayall had not released an album in five years at that point and the Bluesbreakers had been dead for more than 15, but the live album Behind the Iron Curtain proved Mayall's viability thanks mostly to the fiery work of Montoya. The guitarist appeared on three studio albums with Mayall and the Bluesbreakers, but then struck out on his own by the mid-'90s. Signed to Blind Pig, Montoya released Gotta Mind to Travel in 1995 with help from Mayall and another former Bluesbreaker compatriot, rhythm guitarist Debbie Davies.

After years of toil under Collins and Mayall, Montoya was finally in the spotlight and his award as Best New Blues Artist of 1996 proved quite ironic, given his years of experience. His second album, Ya Think I'd Know Better, was followed by 1997's Just Let Go. At that point, Montoya and Blind Pig parted company and he signed with Alligator Records. Suspicion was released in 2000, followed two years later by Can't Look Back and by Dirty Deal in 2007. All three discs incorporated a definitive soul/R&B approach. I Want It All Back, produced by Keb' Mo' and Jeff Paris, appeared in 2010.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

7072 - COCO MONTOYA - Songs From The Road, Disc Two (2014)

COCO MONTOYA
''SONGS FROM THE ROAD, DISC TWO''
MAY 19 2014
120:22

DISC ONE
1 - I Got A Mind To Travel (Gwendolyn Louise Collins) 5:21
2 - Hey Senorita Carl G Green, Edward Curtis Williams) 5:45
3 - Too Much Water (Coco Montoya, Douglas C MacLeod) 6:09
4 - The One Who Really Loves You (William Robinson) 8:43
5 - Love Jail (Coco Montoya) 10:34
6 - Don't Go Makin' Plans (Coco Montoya, Paul Barrere, Roger Cole) 11:13
7 - I Wish I Could Be That Strong (Kenny Greenberg, Gary Tolbert Nicholson, Walter Henry Wilson Jr.) 7:08

DISC TWO
1 - Fannie Mae (Buster Brown, Clarence C Lewis) 7:45
2 - I Need Your Love In My Life (Henry Montoya, David R Steen) 7:06
3 - Good Days, Bad Days (James Walton Aldridge) 15:40
4 - I Want It All Back (David R Steen) 10:35
5 - I Won't Beg (Henry Montoya, David R Steen) 7:29
6 - You'd Think I'd Know Better By Now (Coco Montoya, Douglas C MacLeod) 8:25
7 - My Side Of The Fence (Henry Montoya, David R Steen) 8:21

COCO MONTOYA Vocals, Guitar
RENA BEAVERS Drums, Vocals
NATHAN BROWN Bass
BRANT LEEPER Keyboards, Vocals

OFFICIAL BIOGRAPHY
Guitar One Magazine calls guitarist/vocalist Coco Montoya “the hottest southpaw in the blues” and raves about his “master touch and killer tone.” The Boston Globe succinctly states that Montoya’s music is “hot, blistering soul.” From his early days as a drummer to his current status as one of the top-drawing guitarists and vocalists on the blues-rock scene, Montoya earned his status through years of hard work and constant touring. It all started with a chance meeting in the mid-1970s with legendary bluesman Albert Collins, who offered Montoya a gig as his drummer. Albert took an immediate liking to Montoya, becoming his mentor and teaching his new protégé the secrets of Collins’ “icy hot” style of blues guitar. Five years later, British blues icon John Mayall happened to catch Montoya at a jam session and was blown away. Mayall recruited him as his guitarist in the legendary Bluesbreakers, and Montoya spent the next 10 years touring non-stop, proving himself to be a world-class guitar master in one of the most renowned blues bands in existence. The rest is History!

Montoya is a self taught guitar slinger who plays with an emotional intensity few string benders possess. Playing left-handed and upside down like Albert King, Montoya learned his guitar techniques from his years with Collins. “I never had a lesson in my life. “I would watch other guitar players to catch what they did. I would wait for that one moment when they would do it, and just stare at them and try and remember where their hand was, where their fingers were.

“People ask, ‘Did you take lessons from Albert?’ It’s more from just hanging out in the hotel rooms. He would grab his guitar and I would pick up one and we’d play I just learned by listening, all by ear. I just play it the way I hear it. He was always saying, ‘Don’t think about it, just feel it.’ He taught me to tap into an inner strength. I don’t know all the licks in the world, but I know the ones I can express happiness or sadness or emotion.”

From 1976 until 1984, Montoya had lost some of the feel for music and worked bartender jobs to survive. In 1984, his second mentor, John Mayall, was celebrating his birthday in a bar where Montoya was performing. Montoya’s from the hip version of “All Your Love” caught Mayall’s ear and Coco was asked to pack his Strat and follow previous Bluesbreaker guitarists Eric Clapton, Peter Green and Mick Taylor in the Bluesbreakers. “I would never be doing what I’m doing now if I hadn’t gotten the phone call from John Mayall.”

After three records with Mayall as a member of the Bluesbreakers, Coco decided in 1993 it was time to take the lessons from his two musical fathers and begin to sculpt a solo career. In the early 1990’s he was signed to Blind Pig Records and released three critically acclaimed discs, Gotta Mind To Travel, Ya Think I’d Know Better, and Just Let Go. In the middle of his Blind Pig days, Coco also received national recognition when he was named the Blues Foundation’s Best New Blue Artist at the 1996 Blues Music Awards.

In 2000, Coco took his music up a notch and signed with Alligator Records, the country’s top blues label. In his seven years with Alligator, Coco released three more outstanding records, Suspicion, Can’t Look Back, and 2007’s Dirty Deal.

In 2009, Coco Montoya found a new home in the old world. Germany’s premier blues label, Ruf Records, signed the guitar giant and is poised to bring Coco Montoya’s heart to a world audience. I Want It All Back was the first step in that commitment.

“This is an exciting journey,” said Coco. “To my fans who love my guitar, I say come to me with open ears. The guitar is still there, but it’s not the only voice I have. Listen to me as an artist who is growing and grow with me.” Look for a NEW Live Record to be released on Ruf Records in early 2014.

OFFICIAL SITE

7071 - COCO MONTOYA - Songs From The Road, Disc One (2014)

COCO MONTOYA
''SONGS FROM THE ROAD, DISC ONE''
MAY 19 2014
120:22

DISC ONE
1 - I Got A Mind To Travel (Gwendolyn Louise Collins) 5:21
2 - Hey Senorita Carl G Green, Edward Curtis Williams) 5:45
3 - Too Much Water (Coco Montoya, Douglas C MacLeod) 6:09
4 - The One Who Really Loves You (William Robinson) 8:43
5 - Love Jail (Coco Montoya) 10:34
6 - Don't Go Makin' Plans (Coco Montoya, Paul Barrere, Roger Cole) 11:13
7 - I Wish I Could Be That Strong (Kenny Greenberg, Gary Tolbert Nicholson, Walter Henry Wilson Jr.) 7:08

DISC TWO
1 - Fannie Mae (Buster Brown, Clarence C Lewis) 7:45
2 - I Need Your Love In My Life (Henry Montoya, David R Steen) 7:06
3 - Good Days, Bad Days (James Walton Aldridge) 15:40
4 - I Want It All Back (David R Steen) 10:35
5 - I Won't Beg (Henry Montoya, David R Steen) 7:29
6 - You'd Think I'd Know Better By Now (Coco Montoya, Douglas C MacLeod) 8:25
7 - My Side Of The Fence (Henry Montoya, David R Steen) 8:21

COCO MONTOYA Vocals, Guitar
RENA BEAVERS Drums, Vocals
NATHAN BROWN Bass
BRANT LEEPER Keyboards, Vocals

OFFICIAL BIOGRAPHY
Guitar One Magazine calls guitarist/vocalist Coco Montoya “the hottest southpaw in the blues” and raves about his “master touch and killer tone.” The Boston Globe succinctly states that Montoya’s music is “hot, blistering soul.” From his early days as a drummer to his current status as one of the top-drawing guitarists and vocalists on the blues-rock scene, Montoya earned his status through years of hard work and constant touring. It all started with a chance meeting in the mid-1970s with legendary bluesman Albert Collins, who offered Montoya a gig as his drummer. Albert took an immediate liking to Montoya, becoming his mentor and teaching his new protégé the secrets of Collins’ “icy hot” style of blues guitar. Five years later, British blues icon John Mayall happened to catch Montoya at a jam session and was blown away. Mayall recruited him as his guitarist in the legendary Bluesbreakers, and Montoya spent the next 10 years touring non-stop, proving himself to be a world-class guitar master in one of the most renowned blues bands in existence. The rest is History!

Montoya is a self taught guitar slinger who plays with an emotional intensity few string benders possess. Playing left-handed and upside down like Albert King, Montoya learned his guitar techniques from his years with Collins. “I never had a lesson in my life. “I would watch other guitar players to catch what they did. I would wait for that one moment when they would do it, and just stare at them and try and remember where their hand was, where their fingers were.

“People ask, ‘Did you take lessons from Albert?’ It’s more from just hanging out in the hotel rooms. He would grab his guitar and I would pick up one and we’d play I just learned by listening, all by ear. I just play it the way I hear it. He was always saying, ‘Don’t think about it, just feel it.’ He taught me to tap into an inner strength. I don’t know all the licks in the world, but I know the ones I can express happiness or sadness or emotion.”

From 1976 until 1984, Montoya had lost some of the feel for music and worked bartender jobs to survive. In 1984, his second mentor, John Mayall, was celebrating his birthday in a bar where Montoya was performing. Montoya’s from the hip version of “All Your Love” caught Mayall’s ear and Coco was asked to pack his Strat and follow previous Bluesbreaker guitarists Eric Clapton, Peter Green and Mick Taylor in the Bluesbreakers. “I would never be doing what I’m doing now if I hadn’t gotten the phone call from John Mayall.”

After three records with Mayall as a member of the Bluesbreakers, Coco decided in 1993 it was time to take the lessons from his two musical fathers and begin to sculpt a solo career. In the early 1990’s he was signed to Blind Pig Records and released three critically acclaimed discs, Gotta Mind To Travel, Ya Think I’d Know Better, and Just Let Go. In the middle of his Blind Pig days, Coco also received national recognition when he was named the Blues Foundation’s Best New Blue Artist at the 1996 Blues Music Awards.

In 2000, Coco took his music up a notch and signed with Alligator Records, the country’s top blues label. In his seven years with Alligator, Coco released three more outstanding records, Suspicion, Can’t Look Back, and 2007’s Dirty Deal.

In 2009, Coco Montoya found a new home in the old world. Germany’s premier blues label, Ruf Records, signed the guitar giant and is poised to bring Coco Montoya’s heart to a world audience. I Want It All Back was the first step in that commitment.

“This is an exciting journey,” said Coco. “To my fans who love my guitar, I say come to me with open ears. The guitar is still there, but it’s not the only voice I have. Listen to me as an artist who is growing and grow with me.” Look for a NEW Live Record to be released on Ruf Records in early 2014.

OFFICIAL SITE