Coco Montoya

"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." –AllMusic

"Smoking songs and heavy hitting guitar full of fire and passion...Montoya’s rough-edged voice is filled with feeling. Bluesy, powerful and unpredictable...[It]really gets the blood flowing." –Blues Music Magazine

"Montoya is a show-stopper...heartfelt singing and merciless guitar with a wicked icy burn. He is one of the truly gifted blues artists of his generation." –Living Blues

“’Just play what you feel, be real about it, and enjoy yourself.’ That’s what Albert Collins taught me,” says the award-winning guitar virtuoso and soul-deep singer Coco Montoya. The self-taught, left-handed Montoya mastered his craft under Collins’ tutelage. Incorporating lessons learned from his mentors, the iconic Collins (for whom he originally drummed), and UK legend John Mayall, Montoya puts his own stamp onto every song he performs. Since his first solo album in 1995 (which won him the Blues Music Award for Best New Artist), Montoya’s endlessly inventive guitar work and passionate, hard-hitting vocals have kept him at the top of the blues world. With his new Alligator Records album, Writing On The Wall (his sixth for the label), Montoya delivers what he is already calling one of the best records he’s ever made. For the very first time on Alligator, he decided to bring his road-tested band—noted keyboardist and songwriter Jeff Paris (Keb’ Mo’, Bill Withers), bassist Nathan Brown, and drummer Rena Beavers—into the studio with him. Between the camaraderie of the long-time bandmates and the sheer talent of all involved, the results have left Coco, in his words, “over the moon.”

Still an indefatigable road warrior, Montoya continues to tour virtually nonstop, bringing audiences to their feet from New York to New Orleans to Chicago to San Francisco. Across the globe, he’s performed in countries including Australia, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Norway, England, Brazil, Argentina, Spain, Mexico, Ecuador, Italy, Poland, Russia, the Czech Republic and Canada.

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.” 



Ronnie Baker Brooks

Ronnie Baker Brooks is Blues royalty– the son of Chicago Blues legend Lonnie Brooks– Ronnie has performed with some of the greatest Blues artists of our time, BB King, Buddy Guy, Albert Collins, Koko Taylor as well as Blues rock legend Eric Clapton. Ronnie was the headliner at the Chicago Blues Festival and plays major Festivals around the world. Ronnie recently teamed up with the legendary Chicago Blues label Alligator Records in a licensing deal to market and distribute his future recordings. Ronnie penned all of the songs on the new record and worked with legendary producer Jim Gaines (Santana, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Steve Miller). The new album will be released in October 2024.

His history also includes being a special guest member of Big Head Todd & the Monsters on recording and tours over the past several years. They often write and perform together and they released a fantastic video single — “Remedy” as a duet with Big Head Todd & The Monsters.

Ronnie’s 2017 CD ‘ Times Have Changed’ is produced by Steve Jordan (John Mayer, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Stevie Wonder) and was recorded in Memphis at Royal Studios – home of Al Green and Hi Records.

He also is a featured artist on ‘Chicago Plays the Stones’ – a special ‘answer’ recording to the Rolling Stones ‘Blue & Lonesome’– that Mick Jagger & Keith Richards liked so much– they joined in the sessions as guests on their own classic songs!

“In Ronnie Baker Brooks’ powerhouse hands, blues-rock never sounded so outrageous. Soul never sounded so delicious. And the blues never sounded so profound… one of today’s top live performers.” –Blues Music Magazine

“A monster guitarist with an ample supply of technique and passion.” –AllMusic