Coco Montoya show celebrates new album and return to Alligator Records

FAIRFIELD >> Blues-rock guitarist Coco Montoya will bring some fire and soul to Fairfield Theatre Company’s StageOne Sunday, with a show celebrating his return to Alligator Records and the release of his latest Alligator album, “Hard Truth.”

Showtime is 7:45 p.m. Admission is $32, available in advance at fairfieldtheatre.org or by calling 203-259-1036.

For those of you who live far enough north of New Haven, or who can’t make it on Sunday, Montoya also will perform April 30 at 41 Bridge St., aka Bridge Street Live, in the Collinsville section of Canton. Tickets for that show, which begins at 8 p.m., are $25 for regular admission and $40 for VIP, available in advance at 41bridgestreet.com or by calling 860-693-9762.

Montoya was taught how to do things the right way early by the “Master of the Telecaster” himself — the late Albert Collins, with whom he played for five years. He then was further schooled by John Mayall, with whom he played for 10 years.

Montoya cut three CDs for Alligator between 2000 and 2007 before moving on to other pastures. He delivers a hardedged sound that mixes forceful, melodic guitar playing and passionate vocals.

He returns to the label for “Hard Truth,” which was produced by Tony Braunagel (Eric Burdon, Curtis Salgado, Taj Mahal, Bonnie Raitt). It features 11 songs.

Montoya’s mercurial, unpredictable guitar playing and soulful vocals blend nicely with a backing band that features bassist Bob Glaub (Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Jerry Lee Lewis), keyboard player Mike Finnigan (Jimi Hendrix, Etta James, Taj Mahal), guitarists Billy Watts (Eric Burdon) and Johnny Lee Schell (Bonnie Raitt) and Braunagel on drums. Slide guitarist Lee Roy Parnell has a guest spot on “Lost In The Bottle.”

Montoya actually started out with Collins as a drummer, moving to guitar as he continued to pay his dues, then spent years as a featured guitarist with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers before beginning his solo career in 1993. Five years of constant touring with Collins and 10 years with Mayall honed and polished his abilities both as a player and performer.

Montoya has released eight previous solo albums over the years and has played at clubs, concert halls and major festivals all over the world. He has performed everywhere from New York, New Orleans, Chicago and San Francisco to venues in Australia, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Norway, England, Brazil, Argentina, Spain, Mexico, Ecuador, Italy, Poland, Russia, Czech Republic and Canada.