Writing On The Wall Coco Montoya

• 1 I Was Wrong 03:50
• 2 Save It For The Next Fool 04:19
• 3 You Got Me (Where You Want Me) 03:33
• 4 (I'd Rather Feel) Bad About Doin' It 04:06
• 5 Be Good To Yourself 03:17
• 6 Stop 05:43
• 7 Writing On The Wall 04:17
• 8 Late Last Night 04:53
• 9 What Did I Say? 05:34
• 10 A Chip And A Chair 04:39
• 11 Baby, You're A Drag 04:47
• 12 The Three Kings And Me 05:27
• 13 Natural Born Love Machine 04:26
• Total Runtime 58:51

Info for Writing On The Wall

A career-defining album bursting with Montoya’s fierce guitar and passion-laden vocals, and the first to feature his long-time road band.

Thirteen tracks of searing blues, soulful R&B and high-energy rock & roll include ten originals, five co-written by Coco, and include guest appearances by Ronnie Baker Brooks and Lee Roy Parnell. Co-produced by Grammy Award-winner Tony Braunagel (Bonnie Raitt, Taj Mahal) and Jeff Paris (Keb’ Mo’, Bill Withers).

"One of the most prodigious and gifted electric bluesmen on the planet...a deeply soulful singer and incendiary guitarist [with] a seemingly endless penchant for invention." (AMG)

"Montoya is a powerful and authentic performer, guitarist and songwriter. In a world littered with wanna-be’s, Coco Montoya is the real thing. Very Highly Recommended!" (chicagobluesguide.com)

"Now, with the dynamic Writing On The Wall and a tour calendar busting at the seams, Coco Montoya is as excited as he’s ever been to perform the new songs live with his burning-hot band. Montoya’s well-earned reputation as an eye-popping live performer precedes him. Vintage Guitar states, “Coco keeps getting better and better. He plays with fire and passion rarely seen in this day and age.” Billboard declares, “In a world of blues guitar pretenders, Coco Montoya is the real McCoy. He exudes power and authenticity. Be prepared to get scorched by the real thing.” (Marc Lipkin, bluestownmusic.nl)

“I am so proud of this one,” Montoya says of Writing On The Wall. “We recorded in Jeff Paris’ studio and everything just gelled together. And the band inspired me; they all gave extra effort at every turn. Jeff, Nathan and Rena played so great, they ended up making me play even harder. They made me sound better than I am!”

Coco Montoya, guitar, vocals
Jeff Paris, keyboards, piano, Hammond Organ, Wurlitzer, background vocals, electric and acoustic guitars
Nathan Brown, bass
Rena Beavers, drums, background vocals
Additional musician:
Ronnie Baker Brooks, guitar (track 3), guitar, vocals (track 11)
Lee Roy Parnell, slide Guitar (track 10)
Dave Steen, rhythm guitar (track 10, 12)
Tony Braunagel, drums (tracks 2, 4, 5, 13)

Coco Montoya
Guitar One Magazine calls guitarist/vocalist Coco Montoya “the hottest southpaw in the blues” and raves about his “master touch and killer tone.” The Boston Globe succinctly states that Montoya’s music is “hot, blistering soul.” From his early days as a drummer to his current status as one of the top-drawing guitarists and vocalists on the blues-rock scene, Montoya earned his status through years of hard work and constant touring. It all started with a chance meeting in the mid-1970s with legendary bluesman Albert Collins, who offered Montoya a gig as his drummer. Albert took an immediate liking to Montoya, becoming his mentor and teaching his new protégé the secrets of Collins’ “icy hot” style of blues guitar. Five years later, British blues icon John Mayall happened to catch Montoya at a jam session and was blown away. Mayall recruited him as his guitarist in the legendary Bluesbreakers, and Montoya spent the next 10 years touring non-stop, proving himself to be a world-class guitar master in one of the most renowned blues bands in existence. The rest is History!

Montoya is a self taught guitar slinger who plays with an emotional intensity few string benders possess. Playing left-handed and upside down like Albert King, Montoya learned his guitar techniques from his years with Collins. “I never had a lesson in my life. “I would watch other guitar players to catch what they did. I would wait for that one moment when they would do it, and just stare at them and try and remember where their hand was, where their fingers were.

“People ask, ‘Did you take lessons from Albert?’ It’s more from just hanging out in the hotel rooms. He would grab his guitar and I would pick up one and we’d play I just learned by listening, all by ear. I just play it the way I hear it. He was always saying, ‘Don’t think about it, just feel it.’ He taught me to tap into an inner strength. I don’t know all the licks in the world, but I know the ones I can express happiness or sadness or emotion.”

From 1976 until 1984, Montoya had lost some of the feel for music and worked bartender jobs to survive. In 1984, his second mentor, John Mayall, was celebrating his birthday in a bar where Montoya was performing. Montoya’s from the hip version of “All Your Love” caught Mayall’s ear and Coco was asked to pack his Strat and follow previous Bluesbreaker guitarists Eric Clapton, Peter Green and Mick Taylor in the Bluesbreakers. “I would never be doing what I’m doing now if I hadn’t gotten the phone call from John Mayall.”

After three records with Mayall as a member of the Bluesbreakers, Coco decided in 1993 it was time to take the lessons from his two musical fathers and begin to sculpt a solo career. In the early 1990’s he was signed to Blind Pig Records and released three critically acclaimed discs, Gotta Mind To Travel, Ya Think I’d Know Better, and Just Let Go. In the middle of his Blind Pig days, Coco also received national recognition when he was named the Blues Foundation’s Best New Blue Artist at the 1996 Blues Music Awards.

In 2000, Coco took his music up a notch and signed with Alligator Records, the country’s top blues label. In his seven years with Alligator, Coco released three more outstanding records, Suspicion, Can’t Look Back, and 2007’s Dirty Deal. In 2009, Coco Montoya found a new home in the old world. Germany’s premier blues label, Ruf Records, signed the guitar giant and is poised to bring Coco Montoya’s heart to a world audience. I Want It All Back was the first step in that commitment.

“This is an exciting journey,” said Coco. “To my fans who love my guitar, I say come to me with open ears. The guitar is still there, but it’s not the only voice I have. Listen to me as an artist who is growing and grow with me.” Look for a NEW Live Record to be released on Ruf Records in early 2014.

This album contains no booklet.