Coco Montoya

Drummers take note — it isn’t just Dave Grohl stepping out from behind the skins. Coco Montoya began his career as a drummer for Albert Collins. And after learning blues guitar from Collins in motel rooms while on tour, Montoya was swooped up by John Mayall for a tour (or, rather, several dozen tours) with his Bluesbreakers. But unlike a lot of blues guitarists, Montoya’s voice isn’t one of indulgence. When the man launches into a song like “Women Have a Way With a Fool,” it’s difficult to decide which is a better way to express his pain: his voice or his hands and those oh-so-beautiful six strings. Thirty years after stepping to the front of the stage, Montoya is still purveying guitar licks toward Mars — and he’ll probably be doing it long after Dave Grohl is retired.