My Encounter with Wes

by Chuck Anderson
(Pennsylvania, USA)

Very early on, I was into jazz. Johnny Smith and Wes were my 2 heroes. My Dad found out that Wes was playing at Pep's and suggested we go. They actually stopped us before we went in and said that I couldn't come in because I was under age. The manager said that the only way I could come in was if my Dad said that I was his son - which I was, so in we went and I remember $1.00 cokes - outrageous for the time.

We sat down and my Dad left for a minute. My coat fell off my chair and I remember leaning over and picking it up. When I turned around, there was Wes. He said "Hi! I'm Wes Montgomery. I understand that you're a guitar player". You can imagine. He said "Do you mind if I sit down?" We talked for a while and he told me how important it was to study with a teacher, He said that he would have given anything to have a teacher but that no one would help him or teach him and that's why he was self taught - not that he preferred it that way.

He asked me if I had any questions for him. I asked how he did octaves. I thought he was pinching the two notes. He then showed me how he played octaves on his L5. That's why I play an L5 today.

Wes asked me if I had any requests so I asked him for a tune from the "Boss Guitar" album. I was so nervous that I requested "Pied Fries". He started the next set and announced that there was a young guitar player in the audience who had requested a song. He said "I'd like to play it for him and it's called - "Pied Fries"

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M-A Comment's :

Thanks for sharing this "one in a lifetime" story Chuck.

Wes was such a gentleman!