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(Mar. 6, 1923-June 15, 1968). Born in Indianapolis, John Leslie Montgomery first took up the guitar in 1943. He developed a unique right-hand “thumbing” style that allowed him to use his fingers for a seemingly infinite variety of melodic, rhythmic, harmonic, and timbrel embellishments. Montgomery would go on to become one of the most influential jazz guitarist since jazz guitar pioneer Charlie Christian.
In 1948, Montgomery began playing with the Lionel Hampton Big Band in a two-year stint of touring and recording. Returning to Indianapolis, Montgomery made a name for himself playing in clubs on with his brothers and Buddy Montgomery. Their first recording for Riverside,, was released in 1959. Four more Riverside albums and a brief sojourn in San Francisco established his primacy among jazz aficionados; his 1965 Verve album,, won a Grammy Award, and his next album, (A&M Records), was the bestselling jazz LP of 1967.
Montgomery died in his home of a heart attack just before he was to depart on a tour of Japan. Though he died young, his achievements continued to be memorialized. In 1972 Indy Parks & Recreation dedicated a park in honor of the late jazz guitarist. Wes Montgomery park sits in the northwest corner of Warren Township at 3501 N. Hawthorne Lane. Starting in summer 1987, Montgomery’s life and music were celebrated with an annual Wes Montgomery Jazz Fest. The event took place at Washington Park and on the Canal Walk downtown. Although this festival was discontinued sometime in the 2000s, commemorated his life with a “Wes Montgomery Tribute Day” in 2016.
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