Bob Montgomery

Bob Montgomery (May 12, 1937 – December 4, 2014)

Bob was an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and publisher.

Montgomery was born in Lampasas, Texas southwest of Waco. He was a songwriting partner and best friend of Buddy Holly and they performed together as the duo "Buddy and Bob" while teenagers in high school. Initially they played a variety of bluegrass music, which evolved into rockabilly sounds.

Bob met Buddy Holly at Hutchinson Junior High School in Lubbock, Texas, in 1949. They started playing together at school assemblies and on local radio shows. Montgomery sang lead and Holly harmonized. They soon had a weekly Sunday radio show on station KDAV in Lubbock. On October 14, 1955, Bill Haley & His Comets played a concert at Fair Park Auditorium and Montgomery, Holly, and bassist Larry Welborn were on the bill. Eddie Crandall, Marty Robbins' manager, spoke to Pappy Dave Stone, the owner of KDAV and told him that he was interested in working with Holly as a solo performer. Holly's career began after demo recordings of his music were made and sent to Decca Records.

Montgomery co-wrote some of Holly's songs including "Heartbeat", "Wishing", and "Love's Made a Fool of You". He wrote the pop standard "Misty Blue" and for Patsy Cline, "Back in Baby's Arms". His son Kevin recorded a version of the latter which appeared on his album True. Bob produced Bobby Goldsboro's 1968 number 1 hit "Honey" and his follow up 1973 number 9 UK hit, “Summer (The First Time)”.

Buddy & Bob

Bob had taken up playing the guitar and whilst attending the local junior high school he met up with Charles (Buddy) Holley, who was also a budding guitarist. By the time they were attending Lubbock’s Hutchinson High School they had formed a little musical act playing hillbilly music. Initially influenced by Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs, Buddy was playing banjo and mandolin and young Bobby acoustic guitar. They evolved the act into what they termed Western and Bop and were soon entertaining at parents’ evenings, parties and local clubs and coffee-houses. Their manager was Hi Pockets Duncan.

He became a recording engineer at Norman Petty's Clovis studio, working with such artists as The Crickets, Waylon Jennings, Jimmy Gilmer & The Fireballs, Buddy Knox and Roy Orbison. Montgomery also played rhythm guitar on recordings at the studio.

He moved to Nashville in late 1959 and became a staff songwriter for Acuff-Rose Publishing. His early successes there included Sue Thompson’s 1962 pop hit “Two of a Kind,” as well as songs for The Everly Brothers, Jim Reeves and Bob Luman.

He also set up his own Music Publishing company "Talmon Music" in 1963, sold it in 1967 then became head of United Artists Records Country Music division In late 1969, Bob & Bobby Goldsboro formed the publishing company House of Gold. Within five years, it was one of the top song companies in Music Row, Nashville. He would later become vice president at CBS Records. Bob had a remarkable music career.

Bob married Session Vocalist Sonja Carol Cox and remained so for 35 years until he passed away. Carol, was a talented backup singer who performed with music legends like Elvis, Bob Dylan, and Dolly Parton. The couple also released music together as the duo "Bob & Carol" in the early 1960s.

Bob died on December 4, 2014, in Lee's Summit, Missouri next to Kansas City, of Parkinson's disease, at the age of 77.

Read a fantastic obituary about his life/career here