Eurreal “Little Brother” Montgomery
1906 – 1985
Pianist, vocalist, and bandleader Eurreal Wilford “Little Brother” Montgomery (1906-1985) was born in Kentwood, Louisiana. He was largely self-taught and began playing at age five. During the 1920s he traveled throughout Louisiana and Mississippi, working juke joints and lumber camps with the guitarist Big Joe Williams and banjoist Danny Barker, while also working with Buddie Petit on occasion. He made his first recordings in Chicago in 1930 but spent the better part of the 1930s based in Jackson, Mississippi, and touring with his band, the Southland Troubadours. Montgomery worked with Kid Ory in 1947 and had a long association with Franz Jackson (1950-70). From 1960 to 1980 he also toured internationally as a solo blues pianist and appeared at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in 1976.
