James
Montgomery Fyfe [aka 'Monte Rey'] was born on October 5th
1900. 'Monte Rey', as he later became known, did not
truly begin his singing career until he was 26 years
old. Having been sponsored by the Duchess Of Montrose
and the film star Jack Buchanan, amongst others, he
decided to take classical singing seriously and left for
Milan, Italy to study under singing teacher Briano
Onielo (who comically turned out to be an Irishman named
Brian O’Neil)!
As
'Montgomery Fyfe' he appeared in many prestigious London
venues such as the Albert Hall and the Wigmore Hall. By
1934 he had become the 'Monte Rey' that many remember
well. He joined Geraldo after a series of successful
radio shows and he stayed with him until 1939 alongside
working with Joe Loss until 1941. During this period
Monte also undertook a series of recordings for
transmission by Radio Luxembourg which comprise arguably
his finest body of work.
The Stars Will
Remember
Waiting in the Rain
Give me the Stars AND
Kiss me Tonight