Coco Montoya
Henry "Coco" Montoya (born October 2, 1951, Santa Monica, California) is an American blues guitarist and singer and former member of John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers. He is of Mexican heritage.
Coco Montoya
Bengt Nyman · IMG_9289 · CC BY 2.0
- Name
- Coco Montoya
- Birth Name
- Henry Montoya
- Born
- 2 October 1951
- Birthplace
- Santa Monica, California, United States
- Occupation
- Musician, songwriter
- Nationality
- United States.
- Fields
- blues and rock music.
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Documentary summary
Henry "Coco" Montoya (born October 2, 1951, Santa Monica, California) is an American blues guitarist and singer and former member of John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers. He is of Mexican heritage.
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Authority files
gnd · 1229227458 · wikidata · Q457738 · wikipedia · Coco Montoya
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Coco Montoya • Birth Name — Henry Montoya • Years Active — 1977–present • Born — 2 October 1951 • Birthplace — Santa Monica, California, United States • Instrument — * Vocals • guitar • drums • Genre — Blues, blue-eyed soul, country rock • Occupation — Musician, songwriter • Website — CocoMontoyaBand.com
Musical career
Musical career
Montoya's career began in the mid-1970s when Albert Collins asked him to join his band as a drummer. Collins took Montoya under his wing and taught him his "icy hot" guitar style. The two remained friends even after Montoya left Collins' band to start a career of his own. In the early 1980s John Mayall heard Montoya playing guitar in a Los Angeles bar. Soon after, Mayall asked Montoya to join the newly reformed Bluesbreakers. He remained a member of the band for 10 years. In 1995 he appeared with the Cate Brothers for the resumption of their recording career on their release, Radioland. Also in 1995, Montoya started his solo career with the release of his debut solo album, Gotta Mind To Travel. To date, he has released twelve solo albums. In 2002, Montoya featured on the Bo Diddley tribute album Hey Bo Diddley – A Tribute!, performing the song "Pills." Montoya's 2019 recording, Coming In Hot, was chosen as a 'Favorite Blues Album' by AllMusic.
Left-hand style
Left-hand style
Montoya is left-handed but plays a left-handed guitar with a right-handed neck (i.e. strings upside down).
Personal life
Personal life
Montoya and his longtime girlfriend Lenora married in 2009. He has two daughters: Jasmin (born 1980) and Donna (born 1988).
Works and production
Works and production
Catalogued output is recorded as follows. Born on 2 October 1951.
Coco Montoya
Bengt Nyman · originally posted to Flickr as IMG_9203
Discography
• 1995 Gotta Mind To Travel (Silvertone; Blind Pig) • 1996 Ya Think I'd Know Better (Dixie Frog; Blind Pig) • 1997 Just Let Go (Blind Pig) • 2000 Suspicion (Alligator) • 2002 Can't Look Back (Alligator) • 2007 Dirty Deal (Alligator) • 2009 The Essential Coco Montoya (Bling Pig) - compilation • 2010 I Want It All Back (Ruf) • 2014 Songs From The Road [live] (Ruf) • 2017 Hard Truth (Alligator) • 2019 Coming In Hot (Alligator) • 2023 Writing On The Wall (Alligator)
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Coco Montoya”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q457738: Coco Montoya
Reputable secondary · Wikidata
authority file
- Gemeinsame Normdatei 1229227458, Songs from the road (Zusammenstellung, Coco Montoya).
Unverified · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Partially resolvedauthority file
Gemeinsame Normdatei 1229227458, Songs from the road (Zusammenstellung, Coco Montoya).Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Partially resolvedreference work
Partially resolved
Further particulars
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Further particulars
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This entry is compiled from 3 catalogued sources across 3 independent registers. The registers consulted are Deutsche Nationalbibliothek, Wikidata and Wikipedia. Every statement above is held against the register that stated it; where the registers are silent, the entry is silent.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 19 August 2026.
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