Mark Montgomery
- Sometimes called "Kansas City's secret weapon", Mark's a talented and eclectic
artist who's as at home within the blues as he is tearing up the bass, guitar,
and harp lines that define the Aces sound.
Mark Montgomery began playing music as a child. He started on drums in grade
school, took trumpet lessons in middle school, and eventually learned a little
trombone and tuba. He played bass guitar in high school pit orchestras for drama
productions. “My dad bought me my first guitar on my 16th birthday. Just about
that time, my brother Tom got married. The wedding reception band was a trio
consisting of Jay McShann on piano; Claude Williams, who Tom had been playing
some gigs with on fiddle; and Paul Gunther on the drums. “My exposure to blues
music began there," Mark remembers. “I was just hooked on the blues at that
point!”
After high school Mark earned an Electronic Technician Certificate and moved to
Northern California where he gained exposure to a wide variety of music,
including live shows by
Roy Buchanan,
Commander Cody,
Mitch Woods and his Rocket 88’s,
Los Lobos,
Talking Heads,
Todd Rundgren,
The Tubes,
Elvis Costello,
The Grateful Dead, and
The New Riders of the Purple Sage.
In 1987, Mark returned to Kansas City and began playing professionally in a
rhythm and blues band - The Main Street Rhythm Devils. During this time that he
met Kansas City’s legendary harmonica man, Little Hatch. Mark played bass for
Hatch in 1988 and 1989 at Davey’s Uptown’s Tuesday jam session and filled in for
Hatch’s regular bass men, Joe Wittfeld and Paul Hartfield, on gigs around town
for the next few years. Mark comments, “Playing for Little Hatch was a challenge
because, God love him and rest his soul, he couldn’t keep regular time! Everyone
in the band cued off the bass man, who had to jump gracefully to the place where
he landed in the sequence. Everybody had to be on their toes all the time. I
learned how to play with my ears wide open!”
In 1993, Mark formed the Mo City Jumpers with 3 other musicians. In an effort to
capture the essence of jazz and swing music, Mark began playing the upright bass
with the band in 1998. In 1999, the Mo City Jumpers produced their first
recording “Jammin’ Kansas City Style.” This combination of jazz and blues
effectively represents the Kansas City music style. In 2001 and 2006, The
Jumpers played the Kansas City Jazz and Blues festivals.
In 2003, Mark went back to Chapman studios to record his first solo CD “Honey”.
Included on several of the tracks is Kansas City guitarist, Bill Dye, playing
slide and steel. This record includes blues, country, folk, and four songs
written by Montgomery.
Mark continues to perform in Kansas City and throughout the Midwest both as a
solo artist, with the Mo City Jumpers, the Scamps - and the KC Aces. He recently
began a formal study of jazz performance at the UMKC Conservatory of Music.
Read more at
www. MarkMontgomery.net
