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Blues-rock powerhouse Ronnie Baker Brooks performs with guitar virtuoso and soul singer Coco Montoya at The Suffolk on November 21. COURTESY THE SUFFOLK
Blues-rock powerhouse Ronnie Baker Brooks performs with guitar virtuoso and soul singer Coco Montoya at The Suffolk on November 21. COURTESY THE SUFFOLK
Award-winning guitar virtuoso and soul singer Coco Montoya joins blues-rock powerhouse Ronnie Baker Brooks at The Suffolk on November 21. COURTESY THE SUFFOLK
Award-winning guitar virtuoso and soul-deep singer Coco Montoya pairs up with blues-rock powerhouse Ronnie Baker Brooks at The Suffolk on Thursday, November 21, at 8 p.m. for a night of blues filled with unbeatable passion and top-tier musicianship. Witness these icons meld their mastery of blues guitar and soulful vocals for one truly electrifying night of music.
“Just play what you feel, be real about it and enjoy yourself. That’s what Albert Collins taught me,” says Montoya.
The self-taught, left-handed player mastered his craft under Collins’s tutelage, for whom he originally played drums. Alongside lessons from U.K. legend John Mayall, Montoya puts his own stamp onto every song. Since his first solo album in 1995, which won 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 scene.
His new Alligator Records release “Writing On The Wall” (2023) is his sixth for the label and is already considered one of his best. Produced by Grammy Award-winner Tony Braunagel (Bonnie Raitt, Taj Mahal) and co-produced by Jeff Paris, “Writing On The Wall” is a tour-de-force of memorable, hook-filled songs, sung with passion and fueled by equally memorable, top shelf musicianship.
The son of Chicago blues legend Lonnie Brooks, Ronnie Baker Brooks is blues royalty and has performed with some of the greatest artists of our time, including BB King, Buddy Guy, Albert Collins and Koko Taylor, as well as the legendary Eric Clapton. Brooks was headliner at the Chicago Blues Festival and plays major festivals around the world.
Brooks recently teamed up with Chicago’s Alligator Records on a licensing deal for future recordings. His 2017 album “Times Have Changed” was produced by Steve Jordan (John Mayer, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Stevie Wonder) and recorded in Memphis at Royal Studios, home of Al Green and Hi Records.
Tickets are $39 to $59 at thesuffolk.org. The Suffolk is at 118 East Main Street in Riverhead.
Staff Writer on Nov 14, 2024