Arts & Entertainment

The James Montgomery Band Returns to Broadway

James Montgomery, of Newport, will take to the stage this Saturday night.

The James Montgomery Band will be performing at in Newport this Saturday night. Montgomery is one of America's best known blues musicians and Peter Wolf, of the J. Geils Band, even called him “the John Mayall of New England.” Montgomery has performed on stage with blues giants like Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, and Bonnie Raitt. For the last two years, the widely respected harmonica player and his band have focused primarily on concert work, opening for A-list acts like Aerosmith, B.B. King, and Little Feat.

Montgomery was born in Detroit, but it was while he was attending Boston University in 1970 that he formed the James Montgomery Band. Over the years, a number of well-known musicians have been a part of Montgomery's band, including '80s arena-rock icon Billy Squire.

Montgomery, who now lives in Newport, is calling Saturday night's appearance a "homecoming show." By appearing at Cafe 200, he said he hopes to draw attention to the Broadway area of Newport. He refers to the strip as Newport's version of New York’s Soho neighborhood, in the sense that it is the town's artistic center.

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“It’s really a funky, artsy place,” Montgomery said. “If you go there at night, you’ll find performing artists, painters, and writers. It’s a very arts-centered community. What we’re trying to do is to get people to pay attention to what’s going on on Broadway.”

The new owners at Cafe 200 have been working hard to establish their restaurant as a live music venue. They have recently featured well known blues artists like Toni Lynn Washington, Thomas Enright, Dave Howard & Neal Vitullo, and Ricky “King” Russell. Montgomery, who has been drawing well in the area for years, is hoping to get a good crowd on Saturday and to help make the Broadway area a destination for live music.

A powerhouse band will be on hand for Saturday night’s show. David Hull, who has played with Aerosmith and the Joe Perry Project, Seth Pappas, who has toured with Barrence Whitfield, and Fly Amero, who currently plays with the band Orleans, will also take the stage. Amero will be sitting in for Montgomery’s regular guitarist.

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“It’s a great band,” said Montgomery, “and we’re hoping to get people from all over Newport to come out and let them know that this area and this club are going to be on the map for them.” 

The performance will begin at 10 p.m. There's a $10 cover.


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