By Don Sikorski

James Montgomery doesn’t know what the title his newest CD will be just as of yet. But, as he applies the final mixes, one thing he does know for sure is how he would like it to sound. "We want to establish a return to Detroit sound," he explains. "My first band was four guys from Detroit and one from Boston, so I’m definitely comfortable with Detroit musicians. I wanted to establish my roots as a Detroit blues guy again."

As a quick introduction, James Montgomery has been a blues legend for over 30 years. In 1970, as a student at Boston University, he formed the James Montgomery Blues Band. The band quickly rose to become one of the hottest acts on the New England music scene. In fact, Montgomery’s band was chosen to open the popular Shaboo Club in Willimantic, Connecticut over an up and coming Boston-based rock band named Aerosmith. Montgomery and his band signed a multi-record deal with Capricorn Records and put out his debut release "First Time Out" in 1973. Since that time, he has produced five more albums. His last effort, Tone Cool Records 1991 release "The Oven Is On", features Montgomery Band standards like "Down in Florida" and "Little Black Dress". Over the course of his career, the accomplished harmonica player and singer has performed with some of the most famous names in the business, including Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, John Lee Hooker, Gregg Allman, Mick Jagger, Bonnie Raitt, James Cotton, and B.B. King. The list just goes on and on.

Even after this many years in the music business, Montgomery seems very enthusiastic about his latest project. "I really paid attention to the vocals this time. I’ve taken some sporadic voice lessons with Mark Baxter and he’s been great. This is the first time I really sing," proclaims Montgomery. Look for a new and refreshing approach from Montgomery and friends with this latest effort. "It’s also the first concept CD I’ve done," he explains. "We’ll be doing a lot of blues covers; some John Lee Hooker, Lowell Fulson, Muddy Waters, even a Hank Williams blues song. In the past, we’ve tried to do material that shows some of the different styles that come out of the blues. When we got together to record, James Cotton brought us out onto the front porch and we just starting playing. We were definitely going for that "play on the porch" feel just like we were kids again. It’s really tying back to our Detroit roots."

Montgomery was born and raised in the Motor City, and has always showed a preference to including Detroit musicians in his band. "I always tried to keep in touch with the Detroit musicians. Growing up there, I know they bring a certain angst to the music," he joked. "The approach this time around was to create a record that was a little dark and foreboding."

Montgomery also remains busy with some other various projects. His "Backstage with the Blues" Radio Show can be heard on a number of stations around the New England area and continues to build a growing audience of blues listeners. The special guest list on the show features a number of old friends including Bonnie Raitt, Dr. John, and James Cotton, as well as some new acquaintances like John Mayall, Keb Mo, and Robert Cray. The show combines blues music with a behind the scenes look provided by the musicians themselves.

Montgomery has also recently spent some time recording with hip-hop musician Kid Rock back in his hometown of Detroit. James was recommended to Kid for this project by none other than Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler. "I’ve always liked Kid’s music, " Montgomery explains. He’s about real music; its very guitar driven, and he writes all of his own material. There was absolutely no sampling allowed during these sessions. I was also glad just to get to play with another Detroiter."

As far as playing live is concerned, Montgomery and his band expect to get out and promote their latest effort, as well as a possible venture overseas for the summer, hopefully touring with Buddy Guy and his band. When asked how he stays motivated after so many years in the music business, Montgomery’s answer is simple. "I think that it’s the nature of blues music itself. When we first started, we chose to play a certain kind of music and were indebted to it. It’s the kind of music that we wanted to play. The excitement of the blues audiences is also a very rewarding feeling. I’ve been fortunate enough to get to perform with some of the biggest names in the music business, people like Mick Jagger and Gregg Allman, and that doesn’t hurt either. We just keep choosing to play the blues. I love this music."