Earl Montgomery
Musician · Sheffield, Alabama
Best known for
Songwriter
Earl “Peanutt” Montgomery is a north-Alabama country songwriter, session guitarist, and Baptist minister whose long collaboration with George Jones produced more than seventy recorded sides — including sixteen George Jones / Tammy Wynette duets and fifteen Wynette solo cuts. The Jones-Wynette duet “We’re Gonna Hold On,” which he co-wrote, topped the country chart in 1973.
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- Grew up in a musical Alabama family; sister Melba Montgomery, who first crossed paths with George Jones on a 1963 duet, became a leading honky-tonk vocalist in her own right.
- Worked early on as the lead guitarist at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, where his session credits included Bob Dylan, Etta James, and Patsy Cline.
- Wrote or co-wrote 73 songs recorded by George Jones over the course of their partnership.
- Wrote 15 solo singles for Tammy Wynette and co-wrote 16 of her duets with Jones.
- Co-wrote the George Jones & Tammy Wynette duet “We’re Gonna Hold On,” which spent its time at No. 1 country in October 1973.
- Was called to the ministry in 1976 and became pastor of Oakwood Baptist Church in Sheffield, Alabama, in 1980.
- Inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame.
- Lives in Sheffield, Alabama, with his wife Charlene.
