Wes Montgomery

Wes Montgomery
Photo of Montgomery during a recording session in the mid-1960s
Background information
Birth name	John Leslie Montgomery
Born	(1923-03-06)March 6, 1923 Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
Died	June 15, 1968(1968-06-15) (aged 45) Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
Genres	Jazz
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instrument(s)	Guitar
Years active	1947–1968
Labels	Pacific Jazz, Riverside, Verve, A&M
Website	wesmontgomery.com

John Leslie "Wes" Montgomery (March 6, 1923 – June 15, 1968) was an American jazz guitarist.^[1] Montgomery was known for his unusual technique of plucking the strings with the side of his thumb and for his extensive use of octaves, which gave him a distinctive sound.

Montgomery often worked with his brothers Buddy (Charles F.) and Monk (William H.), as well as organist Melvin Rhyne. His recordings up to 1965 were oriented towards hard bop, soul jazz, and post bop, but around 1965 he began recording more pop-oriented instrumental albums that found mainstream success. His later guitar style influenced jazz fusion and smooth jazz.