Book excerpt: Following Charlie Christian and Django Reinhardt, Wes Montgomery was the third major innovator in jazz guitar. 55 years after his death, we are celebrating his 100th birthday. His outstanding musicality, his virtuosity and his style of playing have been influential to major players like Pat Metheny and George Benson, and to most younger players. Wes Montgomery broadened the vocabulary of jazz guitar like no other player, and it seems that even decades after his passing, his importance is increasing to a level that many players agree he was the most important guitarist in jazz. This is the first biography on Wes Montgomery in over 40 years. It covers details of his family background, his early days as an amateur musician in Indianapolis, reviews of over 50 albums and it includes a full chronological discography.