Coco Montoya

Guitarist/singer Coco Montoya started off as a rock drummer. Albert Collins walked into the club where Montoya was working, and the club owner let him use Montoya's drum set -- without asking him. Montoya blew a gasket, and Collins ended up calling to apologize. Collins phoned a few months later, this time with an invitation to tour. Montoya agreed, and the two spent the next five years on the road together, during which time Collins taught Montoya the guitar -- which is kind of like the Pope teaching you how to pray. He later left Collins's band and eventually got a job as a pickup man for the Bluesbreakers, filling Eric Clapton's old chair. Montoya didn't go solo until the mid-'90s, with Gotta Mind to Travel. He's since turned out four more CDs, including the just-released Dirty Deal on Alligator Records, with members of his road band and Little Feat both backing him. The eleven-track recording is an hour's worth of aggressive, shameless blues.