Chris Montez

Chris Montez (born Ezekiel Christopher Montañez; January 17, 1943) is an American guitarist and vocalist, whose stylistic approach has ranged from rock & roll to pop standards and Latin music. His rock sound is exemplified in songs such as his 1962 hit "Let's Dance", which reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. When his early music's popularity began to fade, he switched to a more traditional role as a popular singer of soft ballads, scoring hits with “The More I See You” and “Call Me" in 1966. He has also recorded in Latin styles. Over the intervening years, he has continued to work in all three modes.

Born in Los Angeles, California, United States, Montez grew up in Hawthorne, California, in a Mexican-American family and was influenced by the Latino-flavored music of his community and the success of his musical hero Ritchie Valens whom he met briefly at a show in 1958. He studied music composition at El Camino College.

In 1962, he recorded the single "Let's Dance" on Monogram Records (written and produced by Jim Lee). It went to No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US and to No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart (spending four weeks there). The follow-up, "Some Kinda Fun", was a lesser hit in the US, but reached No. 10 in the UK in January 1963. Nonetheless, both records sold over one million copies, and were awarded gold discs.

Montez toured with Clyde McPhatter, Sam Cooke, The Platters, and Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. The Beatles opened London, York, and Northampton concerts for him while Montez was performing with Tommy Roe. Montez commented "Who are these guys, The Beatles? I try to keep up with the British scene, but I don't know their work."

Montez returned to the recording studio in 1965, this time at A&M Records. He was searching for the same rock and roll formula that would replicate the success of "Let's Dance". During a recording session, A&M co-founder Herb Alpert, who co-produced Montez's first A&M album, suggested that Montez try a different approach: a middle of the road, soft ballad sound. Though reluctant at first, Montez agreed to go along with his mentor's suggestion.

Biography summary from English Wikipedia, photograph via Wikimedia Commons.