Been away for some time now (couple of years?), busy with life and retirement and moving to paradise - SW Florida. Time to catch up with old RFC friends and brush up on some of my Marlin knowledge.....but before I do, I want to relay a pretty cool story.
For some twenty years, my wife and I have been searching for the identity of my birth parents. You see, I was adopted in Lubbock, TX in 1955. After both my loving adoptive parents passed on, our search took on a renewed sense of urgency - none of us are getting any younger.
About a year ago, at the urging of those with more DNA knowledge than me, I sent off a Y-DNA test to determine my paternal lineage. The results came back and I discovered almost ALL of the surnames were "Montgomery".
We almost lost my birth father's identity in the tall weeds of the DNA results, as this fellow's father and brother married a pair of sisters.....to the untrained eye, his DNA results looked like all the other cousins in the lineup. But with the persistence of my bride and some other "search angels", were able to narrow it down to one man - Bobby LaRoy Montgomery. Sadly, my "First Father" had also passed away from Parkinson's disease about eight months prior to our discovery. A quick Google search revealed much about the man....
We also learned of his surviving family, including his ex-wife. I sent her a message on Facebook, and after the initial shock wore off, the blessings began to flow. After Carol Montgomery vetted me a bit, she told her children about me - I had two younger sisters and a brother ! I met Carol my sisters last October in the Atlanta area, and finally met my brother last July. We've exchanged photos and stories and they've accepted my circumstances and welcomed me into the extended Montgomery family. This is where it gets a bit crazy.....read on.
Turns out, Bob Montgomery was best friends with one Buddy Holly growing up in Lubbock, and they even played together as a duo with their own radio show on KDAV radio - billed as "Buddy and Bob". They even opened for a young Elvis Presley when he played the Cotton Club there. When Decca records expressed an interest in signing Buddy Holly, Bob Montgomery graciously stepped aside and instead went to work at Norm Petty's growing studio in Clovis, New Mexico. It was in Clovis that Bob learned how to produce and record music while working the mixing boards with many budding artists of the era. In 1959, he left Clovis and headed to Nashville, and happen to rent an apartment next door to Patsy Cline. Bob Montgomery went on to write and produce and promote artists on Nashville's Music Row. "House of Gold" music was considered a hotbed of rising talents, including Patsy Cline, Cliff Richard, Wilma Burgess, Billy Fury, the Everly Brothers, produced such diverse acts as Bobby Goldsboro, Vern Gosdin, Waylon Jennings, Marty Robbins and Janie Fricke and was the publisher of several iconic songs including Behind Closed Doors, The Wind Beneath My Wings and Rose Colored Glasses.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s Montgomery became one of Music Row's most successful producers working with a diverse array of artists across all of the major labels. As his studio work increased he set up his own Bob Montgomery Productions. Some of acts he worked with include Razzy Bailey, B. J. Thomas, Marty Robbins, Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings, Tammy Wynette and Shelby Lynne. One of his biggest hits was an R&B song performed by Dorothy Moore - "Misty Blue" - which STILL ranks as the #2 R&B song on iTunes after all these years.
Though he was renowned for his country-pop productions, often leaning towards smoother, string-laden arrangements, Montgomery also favored hard-core country and amazed all those familiar with his work when he produced Vern Gosdin's classic CHISELLED IN STONE, which returned the singer to the top of the charts. Even now, some 27 years after it was recorded, it remains an all-time favorite.
By the end of the 1970s, House of Gold had emerged as the second most successful independent publishing company in Nashville, second only to Tree Publishing, which had been set up in the late 1950s. In 1982 Warner Bros. Music bought the company for a reported $3.5 million. Montgomery moved to Tree as its Director of Creative Services. When Sony Music bought Tree in 1988, Montgomery became a vice-president at CBS Records.
During his time at CBS he signed such new country acts as Joe Diffie, Doug Stone, Shelby Lynne and Collin Raye to the company's Columbia and Epic imprints. As country music evolved during the 1990s, gradually Bob Montgomery eased out of production.
There is much, much more to this journey of discovery, but I'm happy to report that one half of my journey is complete. The family has presented me with many photos and momentos, including the original sheet music to Dorothy Moore's "Misty Blue".
The attached photo is a side by side comparison with Bob Montgomery next to my youngest son, which pretty much sums it all up. And just to make this a Marlin-related thread, I am making my youngest son a custom Marlin Model 60, much like the famed Brothers Forever project from a few years ago.
Thanks for taking the time to read my story - good to be back amongst friends !
For some twenty years, my wife and I have been searching for the identity of my birth parents. You see, I was adopted in Lubbock, TX in 1955. After both my loving adoptive parents passed on, our search took on a renewed sense of urgency - none of us are getting any younger.
About a year ago, at the urging of those with more DNA knowledge than me, I sent off a Y-DNA test to determine my paternal lineage. The results came back and I discovered almost ALL of the surnames were "Montgomery".
We almost lost my birth father's identity in the tall weeds of the DNA results, as this fellow's father and brother married a pair of sisters.....to the untrained eye, his DNA results looked like all the other cousins in the lineup. But with the persistence of my bride and some other "search angels", were able to narrow it down to one man - Bobby LaRoy Montgomery. Sadly, my "First Father" had also passed away from Parkinson's disease about eight months prior to our discovery. A quick Google search revealed much about the man....
We also learned of his surviving family, including his ex-wife. I sent her a message on Facebook, and after the initial shock wore off, the blessings began to flow. After Carol Montgomery vetted me a bit, she told her children about me - I had two younger sisters and a brother ! I met Carol my sisters last October in the Atlanta area, and finally met my brother last July. We've exchanged photos and stories and they've accepted my circumstances and welcomed me into the extended Montgomery family. This is where it gets a bit crazy.....read on.
Turns out, Bob Montgomery was best friends with one Buddy Holly growing up in Lubbock, and they even played together as a duo with their own radio show on KDAV radio - billed as "Buddy and Bob". They even opened for a young Elvis Presley when he played the Cotton Club there. When Decca records expressed an interest in signing Buddy Holly, Bob Montgomery graciously stepped aside and instead went to work at Norm Petty's growing studio in Clovis, New Mexico. It was in Clovis that Bob learned how to produce and record music while working the mixing boards with many budding artists of the era. In 1959, he left Clovis and headed to Nashville, and happen to rent an apartment next door to Patsy Cline. Bob Montgomery went on to write and produce and promote artists on Nashville's Music Row. "House of Gold" music was considered a hotbed of rising talents, including Patsy Cline, Cliff Richard, Wilma Burgess, Billy Fury, the Everly Brothers, produced such diverse acts as Bobby Goldsboro, Vern Gosdin, Waylon Jennings, Marty Robbins and Janie Fricke and was the publisher of several iconic songs including Behind Closed Doors, The Wind Beneath My Wings and Rose Colored Glasses.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s Montgomery became one of Music Row's most successful producers working with a diverse array of artists across all of the major labels. As his studio work increased he set up his own Bob Montgomery Productions. Some of acts he worked with include Razzy Bailey, B. J. Thomas, Marty Robbins, Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings, Tammy Wynette and Shelby Lynne. One of his biggest hits was an R&B song performed by Dorothy Moore - "Misty Blue" - which STILL ranks as the #2 R&B song on iTunes after all these years.
Though he was renowned for his country-pop productions, often leaning towards smoother, string-laden arrangements, Montgomery also favored hard-core country and amazed all those familiar with his work when he produced Vern Gosdin's classic CHISELLED IN STONE, which returned the singer to the top of the charts. Even now, some 27 years after it was recorded, it remains an all-time favorite.
By the end of the 1970s, House of Gold had emerged as the second most successful independent publishing company in Nashville, second only to Tree Publishing, which had been set up in the late 1950s. In 1982 Warner Bros. Music bought the company for a reported $3.5 million. Montgomery moved to Tree as its Director of Creative Services. When Sony Music bought Tree in 1988, Montgomery became a vice-president at CBS Records.
During his time at CBS he signed such new country acts as Joe Diffie, Doug Stone, Shelby Lynne and Collin Raye to the company's Columbia and Epic imprints. As country music evolved during the 1990s, gradually Bob Montgomery eased out of production.
There is much, much more to this journey of discovery, but I'm happy to report that one half of my journey is complete. The family has presented me with many photos and momentos, including the original sheet music to Dorothy Moore's "Misty Blue".
The attached photo is a side by side comparison with Bob Montgomery next to my youngest son, which pretty much sums it all up. And just to make this a Marlin-related thread, I am making my youngest son a custom Marlin Model 60, much like the famed Brothers Forever project from a few years ago.
Thanks for taking the time to read my story - good to be back amongst friends !