Coco Montoya

I Want It All Back, Coco's 7th solo album, was released March 23rd, 2010. The disc was produced by Keb' Mo' and Jeff Paris, who also play on the entire album: Keb' on rhythm guitar and Jeff on keyboards.

Mentored by legendary bluesman Albert Collins, Coco went on to become the guitarist for John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers for ten years before leading his own band. A self taught guitar slinger who plays with an emotional intensity few string benders possess, he plays left-handed and up side down in the style of Albert King and Jimi Hendrix.

Coco Montoya, though he grew up as a drummer and was raised on rock & roll, 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.

In the early '80s, Coco Montoya was 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.

Then he 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. 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.

"In a world of blues guitar pretenders, Coco Montoya is the real McCoy. Be prepared to get scorched." – Billboard

"The fiery blues that issue forth from Coco Montoya's guitar are awe-inspiring and boogie requiring." - The Village Voice

"Blistering contemporary blues... piercing attack, funky, shivery guitar tones and aggressive, soulful vocals" - Blues Revue

"He is one of the truly gifted blues artists of his generation" - Living Blues

Best New Blues Artist Winner at the Blues Music Awards (1996).