Monte Montgomery has earned praise from both critics and fellow musicians not only for his stunning and imaginative fretwork work but also for his talents as a soulful singer -songwriter with deep roots sensibilities. Awarded "Best Acoustic Guitar Player " for the 7th Year in a Row at the Austin Music Awards and on Guitar Player Magazine’s list of America's Top 50 All-Time Greatest Guitarists. Monte was the first name on the list of Guitar One magazine’s “Top 10 Best Undiscovered Guitarists in America.” And as Acoustic Guitar Magazine concurs: "Monte Montgomery is not your typical up-and-coming guitar god. He picks and frets with all ten fingers at once, stretching chord positions across an alarming six frets while playing rhythm strokes, melody and bass lines, all while casually tossing in faster-than-the-naked-eye harmonics, two-handed tapping, bass-style string slapping, percussive string stops, guitar-torturing neck bends, meanwhile leaves even electric players gasping. His exquisitely crafted, melodically and rhythmically sophisticated pop songs suggest the best of Fleetwood Mac, Squeeze and The Police, while just happening to integrate the most mind-boggling guitar work in the state of Texas." "Austin, Texas, has once again unleashed a phenomenal guitar slinger on the world. This time, however, the trouble comes on acoustic guitar. His impassioned attack evokes every great player he has ever loved. He slaps the neck like Michael Hedges, taps Van Halen-esque false harmonics, soars melodically like Eric Johnson and strums with the brutal attack of SRV. Montgomery has pushed the acoustic-electric further into the realm of virtuoso rock guitar than anybody before him." - Jude Gold, Guitar Player Magazine “Monte’s intuitive right- and left-hand approaches lead to his developing some unorthodox techniques. Today he seasons his playing with some often spectacular string slapping, two-handed tapping, percussive string stops, six-fret stretches on chords and daring intervallic leaps on single-note solos.” -– Bill Milkowski, Guitar World Acoustic Monte Montgomery performed live on Austin City Limits, airing with Bruce Hornsby, 1999] “Monte Montgomery blows people away. There’s no other way to describe it... (he) makes his strings produce sounds that obliterate notions of what one human is capable of pulling off on this simple instrument. Glance around the room wherever he plays and witness wall-to-wall looks of sheer slack-jawed astonishment.” -– Terry Lickona, Producer, AUSTIN CITY LIMITS, "The gifted guitar wizard... Monte Montgomery embodies everything that a six-string hero from Austin should, but dares to be different by not using a Stratocaster or any other kind of electric guitar. In a city that reared Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Johnson and Chris Duarte, such affinity for an acoustic guitar is almost sacriligious, but Montgomery proves he's a devout follower of his predecessors by wowing audiences, who can't believe how electrifying his shows really are. With ‘1st and Repair’, the 30 year old guitar slinger took matters one step further, showcasing his singing and songwriting talents. The combination of his sandy voice and loose, laid-back,fingerpicking guitar style has earned comparisons to Mark Knopfler and Bruce Cockburn, but his connection to the fabled Texas town of Luckenbach -– he spent his teens there -– and his heartfelt, soulful approach to sonwriting have made him a uniquely Lone Star figure." -– Chris Riemenschneider, BILLBOARD Magazine "At the helm of the burgeoning music scene in Austin, Texas is Monte Montgomery, a guitar virtuoso who blends down-home country vibes with smooth pop and hints of R&B. Though Montgomery's band is only three strong (with the bassist Chris Maresh and the drummer Phil Bass), its sonic qualities are monstrous; each musician exhibits tremendous dexterity, and the trio often sounds like a six-piece band. Montgomery is most inspiring live, but his group's skilful riffs and crafted lyrics have carried over nicely to its second album, "Mirror" (Heart Music), released in June of this year." -– Andrew Taber, The New York Times "Monte Montgomery tears it up on the fretboard and the mic, and he's brought a strong rhythm section just for reinforcement. His guitar playing describes a true wealth of sounds -– just picture a slap-bass player on an acoustic steel string with a penchant for Stevie Ray Vaughn, and you'll be in the ballpark. At the same time, his blazing fingerstyle, precise, percussive accompaniment, and exceedingly creative use of harmonics are only part of his truly unique guitar style. And Montgomery's outstanding technique does not prevent him from delivering a clear, melodic solo that dances through the changes. The folk-tinged songwriting is well developed, and this man's got stuff to say about life and love. In fact, Montgomery is an impressive, versatile vocalist in his own right. The album's single, ‘1st and Repair,’ features a multi-syllabic John Popper style, while he boasts a range and vibrato on ‘Leaving Paradise’ that could easily make him a candidate for Boyz II Men. It's all in a day's work for this multi-talented six-stringer." -– Rolling Stone Magazine BEST IN THE U.S. - THE TOP 10 BEST (UNDISCOVERED) GUITARISTS IN AMERICA. “Holy Sh*t! Rewind!... Monte was the first artist chosen for this column (the first to make our jaws drop!) His scorching yet musical solos combined with great pop sensibility in his songwriting is what caught our ear. But when you consider that he's playing those Van Halen-esque solos on an acoustic guitar with distortion, it becomes a slam dunk!" -– Michael Mueller, Guitar One Magazine