H.Res. 208: Observing the 100th anniversary of the birth of John Leslie “Wes” Montgomery and commemorating his contributions to jazz music.

Whereas, on March 6, 1923, John Leslie Wes Montgomery (referred to in this resolution as Wes Montgomery) was born to Frances and Tom Montgomery in Indianapolis, Indiana;

Whereas Wes Montgomery was naturally gifted in the musical arts and became proficient on the 4- and 6-string guitar in his youth;

Whereas Wes Montgomery was a self-taught musician and learned to play guitar by listening to recordings of jazz guitarist Charlie Christian;

Whereas Wes Montgomery developed a unique fingerstyle playing technique uncommon to jazz guitarists in his day, using the thumb to play bass notes simultaneously with melodic lines;

Whereas Wes Montgomery crafted diverse and unconventional rhythms that became a defining representation of bebop-style jazz guitar;

Whereas Wes Montgomery became famous after performing in jazz clubs in Indianapolis and was later recruited to tour with the Lionel Hampton Orchestra;

Whereas, in 1957, Wes Montgomery joined his brothers Buddy and Monk to perform with other bands and record music with Pacific Jazz Records;

Whereas, following the release of Wes Montgomery’s albums The Wes Montgomery Trio and The Incredible Guitar of Wes Montgomery, Wes Montgomery’s music became famous internationally, and his band traveled extensively in Europe in the spring of 1965;

Whereas, in 1967, Wes Montgomery’s album A Day in the Life was rated the premier album on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart, 2nd on the Billboard R&B Albums chart, and 13th on the Billboard 200 chart; and

Whereas, on June 15, 1968, Wes Montgomery passed at his home in Indianapolis: Now, therefore, be it