In 1970, while attending Boston University, Montgomery formed the James Montgomery Band. His inimitable harmonica playing combined with his incredibly energetic live shows led to the band's quick ascension on the New England music scene. Within two years, the James Montgomery band was among the hottest acts in Boston along with J. Geils and Aerosmith, and they were quickly signed to a multi-album deal with Capricorn Records.
Since that time, James has recorded six albums. His first, First Time Out has been remastered and re-released by MRG/Capricorn. Other include James Montgomery Band on Island Records which was number nine on Billboard's national playlist, Duck Fever with members of the David Letterman Band, Live Trax, with the Uptown Horns (the Rolling Stones' horn section), and his release on Tone-Cool, The Oven Is On.
Montgomery has toured with many major artists, including Aerosmith, Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Springsteen, the Allman Brothers, Steve Miller and many others. He has jammed on stage with B.B.King, Buddy Guy, John Lee Hooker, Jr. Wells, James Cotton, Charlie Daniels, Bonnie Raitt, Greg Allman, Laverne Baker, Patti LaBelle, and Peter Wolf to name a few. He was also part of an impromptu session with Mick Jagger at New York's "Trax".
Over the years Montgomery's band has been a springboard for many musicians. Members of his band have included Billy Squire, Wayne Kramer (MC-5), Jeff Golub (Rod Stewart), Jim McCarty (Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels), Nunzio Signore Bo Diddley), Jeff Pevar (Ray Charles Orchestra, Crosby, Stills & Nash), Bobby Chouinard (drummer with Ted Nugent, Squire and Robert Gordon), Jeff Levine (Joe Cocker), Aerosmith's Tom Gambel, and many others. James also performs with Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer, as the Kramer Montgomery Band.
Regarding his guest appearances with the Johnny Winter Band, the Nashville Tennessean writes "If ever the time came to use two "legendary" tags in one story, it is to describe both Winter and Montgomery. They are blues masters of the first and highest degree" The shows have been remarkable and Johnny is having his best time playing in many years. He puts his heart and soul into each performance, most of which sell out. The audiences have all been pleased. The highlight in the US, a packed house at Chicago's House of Blues attended by Johnny's old buddy Pinetop Perkins.
"...Blues journeymen usually miss out on the hosannas, but this perennial NE bandleader keeps on keeping on, earning his regional acclaim with much chutzpah. I still get a kick out of his harp playing and his rough-n-tumble combo can definitely make a room buzz" THE VILLAGE VOICE
See Also James Montgomery Band
Angels from the Realms of Glory
James Montgomery Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wing your flight o'er all the earth;
Ye who sang creation's story
Now proclaim Messiah's birth:
Come and worship,
Come and worship,
Worship Christ, the newborn King
Watching o'er your flocks by night,
God with man is now residing;
Yonder shines the infant Light:
Come and worship,
Come and worship,
Worship Christ, the newborn King.
Sages leave your contemplation,
Brighter visions beam afar;
Seek the great Desire of nations;
Ye have seen His natal star:
Come and worship,
Come and worship,
Worship Christ, the newborn King.
Saints, before the altar bending,
Watching long in hope and fear,
Suddenly the Lord, descending,
In His temple shall appear;
Come and worship,
Come and worship,
Worship Christ, the newborn King.
The lyrics to James Montgomery's "Angels from the Realms of Glory" describe the adoration that the angels, shepherds, sages, and saints exhibit towards Jesus Christ at his birth. The first verse calls upon the angels to fly across the earth and proclaim the Messiah's birth to all creatures. The second verse is addressed to the shepherds who are tending their flocks at night. God now dwells among men and the Light of the world has been born, so they ought to worship him. The third verse is for the sages, who are urged to abandon their philosophizing and intellectual contemplations to look towards the star that leads them to the great Desire of nations - the Messiah. The final verse speaks to the saints, who have been watching and waiting for so long. The Lord himself will appear in his temple and they should worship him.
Overall, this hymn embodies the message of Christmas as the celebration of Jesus' birth as the Son of God and the Savior of the world. It invites people from all walks of life, including angels, shepherds, sages, and saints, to worship Christ the King. It is a reminder to put aside worldly concerns and to focus on the miracle of God coming to be with his people.
Line by Line Meaning
Angels, from the realms of glory,
Oh holy messengers of God, who dwell among the highest heavens
Wing your flight o'er all the earth;
Please take wing and traverse the Earth in full, so that all humankind may hear this good news.
Ye who sang creation's story
Your voice opened the world, you heralded the creation of the world
Now proclaim Messiah's birth:
Around the world, it's time to spread the message of the birth of the savior.
Come and worship,
Together to lay down before him worship
Come and worship,
Come and lay down before Him worship
Worship Christ, the newborn King
All must be offering worship to the newborn king of the Christians, Jesus Christ.
Shepherds, in the field abiding,
Shepherds tending to their flocks in the fields throughout the night.
Watching o'er your flocks by night,
They guarded their sheep from danger during the dark hours
God with man is now residing;
The savior has come down bringing grace.
Yonder shines the infant Light:
Behold the infant light that shines in the distance.
Sages leave your contemplation,
Oh Wise Men, it's time to stop thinking
Brighter visions beam afar;
Farther off, brighter visions are glowing.
Seek the great Desire of nations;
Let us seek the great savior who is the desire of all nations.
Ye have seen His natal star:
You have seen the guiding star that is associated with his birth.
Saints, before the altar bending,
The Saints stand in prayer and devotion before the altar
Watching long in hope and fear,
The Saints wait in hope and uncertainty for a long time
Suddenly the Lord, descending,
Suddenly the Lord comes down from above
In His temple shall appear;
Then the Lord will show up in his temple
Come and worship,
Come together to lay down before Him our worship
Come and worship,
Come and lay down before Him worship
Worship Christ, the newborn King.
All must be offering worship to the newborn king of the Christians, Jesus Christ.
Contributed by Thomas M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Angel K.
This is my absolute favorite arrangement of this song. Well-done! (I love it that the music says "Soar!")
Jameea Gibbs
Angel K. Yea my band is playing it this year my reaction was i wish I was a oboist now bc they have all the solo's
John Henry
If you are listening to this beautiful rendition, wondering if there is a Jesus- He is real. He's complete, tender love and He wants to know you. Look for Him and you'll easily find Him.