Chris Montez

[Ron Phillipchuk]

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1= The More I See You
2= Ay No Digas
3= Let's Dance


Chris Montez (born Ezekiel Christopher Montanez on January 17, 1943) is an American guitarist and vocalist, whose stylistic approach has ranged from rock & roll to pop standards and Latin music. His rock sound is exemplified in songs such as his 1962 hit "Let's Dance", which reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. When his early music's popularity began to fade, he switched to a more traditional role as a popular singer of soft ballads, scoring a hit with "Call Me" in 1966. He has also recorded in Latin styles. Over the intervening years, he has continued to work in all three modes.

Montez grew up in Hawthorne, California, influenced by the Latino-flavored music of his community and the success of Ritchie Valens. He studied music composition at El Camino College.

In 1962, he recorded the single "Let's Dance" on Monogram Records (written and produced by Jim Lee). It went to No.4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US and to No.2 on the UK Singles Chart (spending four weeks there). The follow-up, "Some Kinda Fun", was a lesser hit in the U.S., but reached No.10 in the U.K. in January 1963. Nonetheless, both records sold over one million copies, and were awarded gold discs.

Montez toured with Clyde McPhatter, Sam Cooke, The Platters, and Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. The Beatles opened London, York and Northampton concerts for him while Montez was performing with Tommy Roe.  Montez commented "Who are these guys The Beatles? I try to keep up with the British scene, but I don't know their work".

Montez returned to the recording studio in 1965, this time at A&M Records. Montez was searching for the same rock and roll formula that would replicate the success of "Let's Dance". During a recording session, A&M co-founder Herb Alpert (who co-produced Montez's first A&M album) suggested that Montez try a different approach: a middle of the road, soft ballad sound. Though reluctant at first, Montez agreed to go along with his mentor's suggestion.

"Call Me" (a Tony Hatch composition first recorded by Petula Clark) was the first single released from his 1966 A&M album, The More I See You. The title single from the album, sung in a soft, very high tenor range and played on primarily adult-formatted radio stations, confused some disc jockeys, who were unfamiliar with Montez's past work. The song became enormously popular and has been used many times in movies, notably Frantic, starring Harrison Ford. When announcing the song, the DJs would often refer to Montez as a female.[citation needed] But by the time the album was released, Montez's pictures on the front and back of the jacket cleared up any mystery surrounding his gender, as explained in the album's notes on the back of the record jacket.

Released in November 1965, "Call Me" entered the Easy Listening Top 40 in Billboard that December, entering the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1966; that March "Call Me" peaked on the Easy Listening chart at #2 and on the Hot 100 at #22.
The More I See You album yielded two additional Top 40 singles for Montez: The title track, plus "There Will Never Be Another You".

Montez recorded three more albums for A&M: Time After Time, Foolin' Around, and Watch What Happens. None of these albums mirrored the success of The More I See You. The title track "Time After Time", did reach #36 on the Billboard Hot 100, but no other singles made the top 40. Subsequent singles hit below the top 40, or only on the Billboard Easy Listening Top 40. Following the release of Watch What Happens in 1968, Montez left A&M Records.

In November 1972, Montez charted a Latin hit in Brazil: "Loco por ti (Crazy About You)".

Montez resurfaced in 1974 at CBS Records, with the release of a new LP, The Best of Chris Montez, a mix of both old and new recordings.
Montez recorded one more album for CBS: Raza: Ay No Digas, which did well internationally, but failed to make an impact in the US. His final album, with exclusively Spanish-language material, was Cartas de Amor, released on the independent label AYM in 1983.

In July 2008, Frozen Pictures announced plans to produce a documentary musical film on Montez's life and career. The film, El Viaje Musical de Ezekiel Montanez: The Chris Montez Story, was previewed by Montez, director Burt Kearns and producer Brett Hudson at the Paso Robles Digital Film Festival in Paso Robles, California in November 2009, The Fest For Beatles Fans in March 2010 in Secaucus, New Jersey  and, in May 2010, at the Pacific Palisades Film Festival in Pacific Palisades, California.

Chris Montez has worked within the Mexican-American communities in the USA especially his native California promoting education and healthy living. His work was recognized in San Antonio, Texas on September 16, 2011 with the First Annual SOPA (Stop Obesity Promote Activity) Wellness Award. He was among one of 4 awards given to national celebrities.
In 2012 Chris Montez was named a distinguished alumnus of El Camino College.

[montage]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNzSo3cnJOc



The More I See You" is a popular song composed by Harry Warren, with lyrics by Mack Gordon, and was originally sung by Dick Haymes in the 1945 film Diamond Horseshoe.

In 1966, Chris Montez released the most commercially successful and well-known recording of the song, and his version has been used many times in films, notably at the beginning of the famous club scene in Roman Polanski's Frantic, starring Harrison Ford. Chris Montez's version went to number sixteen on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent four weeks at number two on the Easy Listening chart.

[montage]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rD7wTidOAG8


Ay no digas que tu no quieres, que tu no quieres, quieres mi amor
Because I love you, I only want you
Oh, how I need you, that is for sure

If I had sunshine, I'd give it to you
If I had fortunes, I'd do the same
I'd give the stars to nobody but you
And most of all, I'd give you my name

We've been through all kinds of weather
Now is no time to go away
If we could just stay together then ev'rything will be ok, you'll see
Ay no digas que tu no quieres
Ay no digas que tu no quieres, que tu no quieres, quieres mi amor
Because I love you, I only want you
Oh, how I need you, that is for sure

We've been through all kinds of weather
Now is no time to go away
If we could just stay together then ev'rything will be ok, you'll see

You used to tell me there'd be no other to take the place that I have in your heart
And in my gloom you're making room
Don't make me have to, to make a new start
Ay no digas que tu no quieres
Ay no digas que tu no quieres, que tu no quieres, quieres mi amor
Because I love you, I only want you
Oh, how I need you, that is for sure
Ay no digas que tu no quieres, que tu no quieres, quieres mi amor
Because I love you, I only want you
Oh, how I need you, that is for sure

[montage]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNLXxDMxe18

"Let's Dance" is a 1962 hit-single by Chris Montez, written and produced by Jim Lee.

The personnel on the original recording included Joel Hill on guitar, Ray Johnson on organ, Ray Pohlman on bass and Jesse Sailes on drums. When initially released, the song shot to #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the U.S., and to No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart.

In 1973 the song was coupled as an "oldie" with the Shirelles "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" and re-released in Europe. Based on radio play, the record company, London Records, quickly removed the Shirelles cut and replaced it with the original flip side "You're the One". Consequently, the recording reached the top five for a second time, in both Britain and Germany.

This tune was also featured in the 1978 comedy film, National Lampoon's Animal House starring John Belushi. It was also the title track of a 1972 album by Montez.

In Tina Turner's 1988 Live in Europe album/CD, Tina sings a duet with David Bowie wherein they sing the first 2 verses of the "Let's Dance" written by Jim Lee and performed by Chris Montez, then segue into the last section of Bowie's song "Let's Dance".

[Organplayer]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rD7wTidOAG8

A Remake of this nice song and a Song request

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The More I See You

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