-Monte Mountjoy, 81, died Monday (Nov. 7, 1994).
Services will be 2 p.m. Friday in Graceland/ Fairlawn Funeral Home with visitation from 1 to 2 p.m. Burial will be in Fairlawn Cemetery. Memorials instead of flowers should be sent to Jo Mountjoy, 1221 N. Van Dyke St., Decatur, IL 62522.
Monte Mountjoy was born Nov. 13, 1912, in Roundup, Mont. He was adopted and moved to Decatur with George and Minnie Mountjoy when he was 2. A professional musician for seven decades, he married Jo Corey on Sept. 27, 1963, in Decatur. She survives.
Monte broke into the music business the hard way when he was 14 like this: He carried his full set of drums from the 1400 block E. Hickory St. to Eldorado and Jasper streets and then carried them up to the second floor to play for a dance.
Later he played regularly at Paynefs Night Club, Shady Rest and Lakeside Inn to name a few. He left Decatur in the early 1930s with the Tiny Hill Orchestra, playing throughout the Midwest. In 1941 he moved to the West Coast, playing with Western swing bands, including Spade Cooley and Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys. Monte is in the Nashville Grand Ole Opry Hall of Fame as the first to play a full set of drums on the Opry stage. Drums had to be played behind the curtain there until Monte broke the tradition.
He then joined the Firehouse Five Plus Two, a group of Walt Disney Studio employees in Hollywood who became one of the major influences in the revival of Dixieland jazz. They played on Monday night at the Mocambo where all the movie stars gathered. Jane Wyman, Ronald Reaganfs first wife, would sit on Montefs lap and help him play the drums.
Monte later played with Jack Teagarden, Pete Dailey, Wild Bill Davidson and the Salt City Six in addition to many other bands. He was offered a job by Lawrence Welk. Monte turned it down with a one-word telegram: No! He refused to play champagne music.
Monte was a first-call drummer with RCA Records for four years. Bing Crosby called Monte gThe Beachcomber.h Monte then began traveling with the Smokey Stover Dixieland Firemanfs Band and ended up in a two-week job at the Decatur Cocktail Lounge in 1962.
From then on, he made Decatur his home, opening a drum store and also going on road trups with various bands, including Gene Mayl.
He helped bring Dixieland back to Decatur during gigs at the Cork Inn, Jackfs Shack and Jim Parkerfs original Tack Room. When the Tack Room closed, Jerry and Nancy Roucher persuaded Dieter Schulz, the Decatur Holiday Inn innkeeper, to hire Montefs band on Sunday nights.
Montefs band -the Misfits -led to the start of the Central Illinois Jazz Festival at the Holiday Inn. The festival celebrates its 20th anniversary in January. Monte led the festivalfs house band through 1984.
During all these years, Montefs band played all around Central Illinois, including Lincoln and Mattoon, and had a number of twoweek jobs at the Holiday Inn. When Jim Parker reopened the Tack Room -this time in Illiopolis -Montefs band was the house band. The Tack Room has one musicianfs picture on the wall -a poster-size photo of Monte.
Monte retired from playing in 1984 when he and Jo moved to California and later to Arizona. They returned to Decatur in 1992 because they missed the warm and loving people here.
Herald & Review Nov 10, 1994
Obit provided by KPET
-----------------------
Services will be 2 p.m. Friday in Graceland/ Fairlawn Funeral Home with visitation from 1 to 2 p.m. Burial will be in Fairlawn Cemetery. Memorials instead of flowers should be sent to Jo Mountjoy, 1221 N. Van Dyke St., Decatur, IL 62522.
Monte Mountjoy was born Nov. 13, 1912, in Roundup, Mont. He was adopted and moved to Decatur with George and Minnie Mountjoy when he was 2. A professional musician for seven decades, he married Jo Corey on Sept. 27, 1963, in Decatur. She survives.
Monte broke into the music business the hard way when he was 14 like this: He carried his full set of drums from the 1400 block E. Hickory St. to Eldorado and Jasper streets and then carried them up to the second floor to play for a dance.
Later he played regularly at Paynefs Night Club, Shady Rest and Lakeside Inn to name a few. He left Decatur in the early 1930s with the Tiny Hill Orchestra, playing throughout the Midwest. In 1941 he moved to the West Coast, playing with Western swing bands, including Spade Cooley and Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys. Monte is in the Nashville Grand Ole Opry Hall of Fame as the first to play a full set of drums on the Opry stage. Drums had to be played behind the curtain there until Monte broke the tradition.
He then joined the Firehouse Five Plus Two, a group of Walt Disney Studio employees in Hollywood who became one of the major influences in the revival of Dixieland jazz. They played on Monday night at the Mocambo where all the movie stars gathered. Jane Wyman, Ronald Reaganfs first wife, would sit on Montefs lap and help him play the drums.
Monte later played with Jack Teagarden, Pete Dailey, Wild Bill Davidson and the Salt City Six in addition to many other bands. He was offered a job by Lawrence Welk. Monte turned it down with a one-word telegram: No! He refused to play champagne music.
Monte was a first-call drummer with RCA Records for four years. Bing Crosby called Monte gThe Beachcomber.h Monte then began traveling with the Smokey Stover Dixieland Firemanfs Band and ended up in a two-week job at the Decatur Cocktail Lounge in 1962.
From then on, he made Decatur his home, opening a drum store and also going on road trups with various bands, including Gene Mayl.
He helped bring Dixieland back to Decatur during gigs at the Cork Inn, Jackfs Shack and Jim Parkerfs original Tack Room. When the Tack Room closed, Jerry and Nancy Roucher persuaded Dieter Schulz, the Decatur Holiday Inn innkeeper, to hire Montefs band on Sunday nights.
Montefs band -the Misfits -led to the start of the Central Illinois Jazz Festival at the Holiday Inn. The festival celebrates its 20th anniversary in January. Monte led the festivalfs house band through 1984.
During all these years, Montefs band played all around Central Illinois, including Lincoln and Mattoon, and had a number of twoweek jobs at the Holiday Inn. When Jim Parker reopened the Tack Room -this time in Illiopolis -Montefs band was the house band. The Tack Room has one musicianfs picture on the wall -a poster-size photo of Monte.
Monte retired from playing in 1984 when he and Jo moved to California and later to Arizona. They returned to Decatur in 1992 because they missed the warm and loving people here.
Herald & Review Nov 10, 1994
Obit provided by KPET
-----------------------
-Monte Mountjoy, 81, died Monday (Nov. 7, 1994).
Services will be 2 p.m. Friday in Graceland/ Fairlawn Funeral Home with visitation from 1 to 2 p.m. Burial will be in Fairlawn Cemetery. Memorials instead of flowers should be sent to Jo Mountjoy, 1221 N. Van Dyke St., Decatur, IL 62522.
Monte Mountjoy was born Nov. 13, 1912, in Roundup, Mont. He was adopted and moved to Decatur with George and Minnie Mountjoy when he was 2. A professional musician for seven decades, he married Jo Corey on Sept. 27, 1963, in Decatur. She survives.
Monte broke into the music business the hard way when he was 14 like this: He carried his full set of drums from the 1400 block E. Hickory St. to Eldorado and Jasper streets and then carried them up to the second floor to play for a dance.
Later he played regularly at Paynefs Night Club, Shady Rest and Lakeside Inn to name a few. He left Decatur in the early 1930s with the Tiny Hill Orchestra, playing throughout the Midwest. In 1941 he moved to the West Coast, playing with Western swing bands, including Spade Cooley and Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys. Monte is in the Nashville Grand Ole Opry Hall of Fame as the first to play a full set of drums on the Opry stage. Drums had to be played behind the curtain there until Monte broke the tradition.
He then joined the Firehouse Five Plus Two, a group of Walt Disney Studio employees in Hollywood who became one of the major influences in the revival of Dixieland jazz. They played on Monday night at the Mocambo where all the movie stars gathered. Jane Wyman, Ronald Reaganfs first wife, would sit on Montefs lap and help him play the drums.
Monte later played with Jack Teagarden, Pete Dailey, Wild Bill Davidson and the Salt City Six in addition to many other bands. He was offered a job by Lawrence Welk. Monte turned it down with a one-word telegram: No! He refused to play champagne music.
Monte was a first-call drummer with RCA Records for four years. Bing Crosby called Monte gThe Beachcomber.h Monte then began traveling with the Smokey Stover Dixieland Firemanfs Band and ended up in a two-week job at the Decatur Cocktail Lounge in 1962.
From then on, he made Decatur his home, opening a drum store and also going on road trups with various bands, including Gene Mayl.
He helped bring Dixieland back to Decatur during gigs at the Cork Inn, Jackfs Shack and Jim Parkerfs original Tack Room. When the Tack Room closed, Jerry and Nancy Roucher persuaded Dieter Schulz, the Decatur Holiday Inn innkeeper, to hire Montefs band on Sunday nights.
Montefs band -the Misfits -led to the start of the Central Illinois Jazz Festival at the Holiday Inn. The festival celebrates its 20th anniversary in January. Monte led the festivalfs house band through 1984.
During all these years, Montefs band played all around Central Illinois, including Lincoln and Mattoon, and had a number of twoweek jobs at the Holiday Inn. When Jim Parker reopened the Tack Room -this time in Illiopolis -Montefs band was the house band. The Tack Room has one musicianfs picture on the wall -a poster-size photo of Monte.
Monte retired from playing in 1984 when he and Jo moved to California and later to Arizona. They returned to Decatur in 1992 because they missed the warm and loving people here.
Herald & Review Nov 10, 1994
Obit provided by KPET
-----------------------
Services will be 2 p.m. Friday in Graceland/ Fairlawn Funeral Home with visitation from 1 to 2 p.m. Burial will be in Fairlawn Cemetery. Memorials instead of flowers should be sent to Jo Mountjoy, 1221 N. Van Dyke St., Decatur, IL 62522.
Monte Mountjoy was born Nov. 13, 1912, in Roundup, Mont. He was adopted and moved to Decatur with George and Minnie Mountjoy when he was 2. A professional musician for seven decades, he married Jo Corey on Sept. 27, 1963, in Decatur. She survives.
Monte broke into the music business the hard way when he was 14 like this: He carried his full set of drums from the 1400 block E. Hickory St. to Eldorado and Jasper streets and then carried them up to the second floor to play for a dance.
Later he played regularly at Paynefs Night Club, Shady Rest and Lakeside Inn to name a few. He left Decatur in the early 1930s with the Tiny Hill Orchestra, playing throughout the Midwest. In 1941 he moved to the West Coast, playing with Western swing bands, including Spade Cooley and Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys. Monte is in the Nashville Grand Ole Opry Hall of Fame as the first to play a full set of drums on the Opry stage. Drums had to be played behind the curtain there until Monte broke the tradition.
He then joined the Firehouse Five Plus Two, a group of Walt Disney Studio employees in Hollywood who became one of the major influences in the revival of Dixieland jazz. They played on Monday night at the Mocambo where all the movie stars gathered. Jane Wyman, Ronald Reaganfs first wife, would sit on Montefs lap and help him play the drums.
Monte later played with Jack Teagarden, Pete Dailey, Wild Bill Davidson and the Salt City Six in addition to many other bands. He was offered a job by Lawrence Welk. Monte turned it down with a one-word telegram: No! He refused to play champagne music.
Monte was a first-call drummer with RCA Records for four years. Bing Crosby called Monte gThe Beachcomber.h Monte then began traveling with the Smokey Stover Dixieland Firemanfs Band and ended up in a two-week job at the Decatur Cocktail Lounge in 1962.
From then on, he made Decatur his home, opening a drum store and also going on road trups with various bands, including Gene Mayl.
He helped bring Dixieland back to Decatur during gigs at the Cork Inn, Jackfs Shack and Jim Parkerfs original Tack Room. When the Tack Room closed, Jerry and Nancy Roucher persuaded Dieter Schulz, the Decatur Holiday Inn innkeeper, to hire Montefs band on Sunday nights.
Montefs band -the Misfits -led to the start of the Central Illinois Jazz Festival at the Holiday Inn. The festival celebrates its 20th anniversary in January. Monte led the festivalfs house band through 1984.
During all these years, Montefs band played all around Central Illinois, including Lincoln and Mattoon, and had a number of twoweek jobs at the Holiday Inn. When Jim Parker reopened the Tack Room -this time in Illiopolis -Montefs band was the house band. The Tack Room has one musicianfs picture on the wall -a poster-size photo of Monte.
Monte retired from playing in 1984 when he and Jo moved to California and later to Arizona. They returned to Decatur in 1992 because they missed the warm and loving people here.
Herald & Review Nov 10, 1994
Obit provided by KPET
-----------------------
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