Country Music’s Preeminent Duet Partner Melba Montgomery Has Died

Before there was Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn, and before there was George Jones and Tammy Wynette, there was George Jones and Melba Montgomery, who helped set the standard for duets in the country music discipline. With her strong dimples and confident voice, Melba helped to make the men she sang with stars.
It was in 1971 when both Conway and Loretta, and George and Tammy went on their magical runs of country duo records. But eight years before in 1963, Melba started recording a series of albums and songs with George Jones herself. George heard Melba’s music, and immediately believed in her, convincing producer Pappy Daily to sign her to United Artists Records.
The duo would go on to release four collaborative albums together between 1963 and 1967. Some of their most famous songs include “We Must Have Been Out of Our Minds” written by Montgomery that went on to be covered by scores of other duet partners, along with “Let’s Invite Them Over,” and “You Comb Her Hair.” It really was the pairing of George Jones and Melba Montgomery that forged the themes of male/female duos in country as a mix of infidelity and comedy.

During this same period, Melba Montgomery paired with Gene Pitney on an album called Being Together in 1965. With the marriage of George Jones and Tammy Wynette launching of their duet era, Melba Montgomery moved on to record two duet albums in 1971 with Charlie Louvin. This whole time, Montgomery also had a solo career and released solo albums, thanks in part to her popularity through George Jones. But how Melba Montgomery remained to be known best was as a duet partner.
Melba was nearly perfect at matching male voices for harmony because she was raised doing it. Born in Iron City, Tennessee, she grew up in Florence, Alabama in a musical family, including her father who was a singing teacher at the local Methodist Church. Montgomery received a guitar at the age of 10, and regularly performed with her brothers Carl and Earl “Peanut” Montgomery as a trio, officially forming a group together in their late teens.
When Montgomery was 20, her and her brothers performed in a talent contest at the WSM studios in Nashville, and impressed Grand Ole Opry patriarch Roy Acuff. Acuff decided to hire Melba as his touring harmony singer, and Montgomery performed with Acuff regularly from 1958 to 1962. This gave Melba the experience she needed in the industry, but it wasn’t until George Jones chose to share billing with Melba that she became a star in country.
Throughout the 1960’s, Melba Montgomery released her own singles through multiple labels, including “Hall of Shame” and “The Greatest One Of All” that made it to #22 and #26 on the country charts respectively. Her sound both as a solo artist and a duet partner was hard country, which won her many fans in traditionalist circles. But as time went on, she became somewhat typecast as a duet singer. There was just something about Melba singing with men that made both voices greater than the sum of their parts.
But then in 1974, songwriter Harlan Howard brought Montgomery a song called “No Charge” that he’d written for her personally. The song features Melba talking in her strong Southern accent, reading off the price for chores performed by her little boy before breaking into singing in the chorus. There was a sweetness to the song that helped shoot it straight to #1, and gave Melba Montgomery a solo hit all on her own.

Montgomery would have another hit in 1975 with “Don’t Let the Good Times Fool You,” but the commercial success of her solo career was brief. However, Melba would spend many more years contributing to country music both on and off the stage. Her brothers Carl and Earl “Peanut” Montgomery had been working in country music as songwriters, and Melba found a second career in this occupation as well.
George Strait, Pam Tillis, Terri Clark, Rhonda Vincent, Patty Loveless, Sarah Evans, Travis Tritt, and others would all record Melba Montgomery songs in the late ’80s and 90s, while she also co-wrote songs with legendary songwriters such as Kostas, Jim Lauderdale, and especially bluegrass artist Carl Jackson. Montgomery’s songwriting career is as much a part of her legacy as anything. And this whole time, Melba continued to record and release albums on independent labels.
In 1999 when John Prine did his famous album of country duets called In Spite of Ourselves, he solicited Melba Montgomery to sing with him on the song she’s made famous with George Jones, “We Must Have Been Out of Our Minds.” As a studio harmony singer, Montgomery worked with Randy Travis and Emmylou Harris among others.
Though Melba Montgomery was mostly known as a duet partner, she was also considered in her era as one of the “First Ladies of Country Music” right beside Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette. She may have never forged the landmark solo career similar to the other First Ladies of the era, but her contributions to country music are worthy of remembering all on their own, and as equal to the careers she helped launch through the contributions of her voice.
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Melba Montgomery died on Wednesday, January 15th in Nashville. She was 86 years old. Montgomery was preceded in death by her husband and fellow musician Jack Solomon of The Jones Boys, who passed away in 2014.
January 17, 2025 @ 10:15 am
Terrible news! I have said for many years that she was one of the greatest female country singers of all time and one who deserved a whole lot more recognition and acclaim than she received!
January 17, 2025 @ 12:10 pm
She was wonderful. But she didn’t “help to make the men she sang with stars.” Lol
January 17, 2025 @ 12:52 pm
I think George Jones would disagree with you, even if he would say it just to be generous.
January 17, 2025 @ 1:11 pm
Kyle,
Let’s not play silly games. We both know this is you injecting your “Me too” perspective into the article.
She was great. She doesn’t need you to exaggerate her impact.
January 17, 2025 @ 1:38 pm
Do people say flattering things when someone passes, because that’s what we do as human beings? Sure.
Does this have anything to do with a “Me Too” perspective? Absolutely not.
Read the comment from Kevin Smith below, who has contributed to Saving Country Music in the past, and knows more about the people in the George Jones orbit than most. Melba played a big role in the early popularity for George Jones. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have recorded multiple albums with her.
January 17, 2025 @ 5:09 pm
If Kevin believes that Melba helped make George a star, then Kevin is wrong.
If Kevin believes that Melba was a unique, gifted vocalist who made valuable contributions to George’s discography, then Kevin is right.
You can’t help yourself with that issue. You probably add comments like that without thinking about it too much because it’s become inherent to who you are. I’m not telling you what to do. I just wanted you to know it’s silly.
Anyway, I wish Eddie Stubbs would come out of retirement to do a tribute show to her.
January 18, 2025 @ 9:22 am
What issue is that, “Me Too”? When did I bring up rape or sexual harassment in this article? I think you’re the one injecting a contentious subject into a reverential obituary.
Everybody is geeked up right now politically because of the inauguration. There was nothing political or “Me Too” about this article.
January 18, 2025 @ 11:09 am
What issue is that, “Me Too”? When did I bring up rape or sexual harassment in this article?
Kyle,
I might have used the wrong term, as I’m not super political. I mean that you’re a feminist, and you inject it into a lot of your work.
I couldn’t care less about the inauguration. I’m glad Trump won, but I don’t worship him like many do.
I simply observed your silly, inherent feminism in this otherwise nice obituary, and felt it needed to be pointed out.
January 17, 2025 @ 1:29 pm
Probably did more good than anything. Some songs do indeed work better for both artist than if they individually sung them. David#T
January 17, 2025 @ 12:34 pm
What a legendary voice, one of the absolute best.
The duets with George Jones are sublime, as was her other material. I think George was so in love with her, yet that never was never realized. George must have felt that hole in his heart for much of his life.
RIP.
January 17, 2025 @ 12:42 pm
Talking to the Adams Bros, who knew her well, Melba had all the boys chasing her including George, who was in fact romantically involved with her for a time. She did date various musicians, but ended up settling down with Jack Solomon as Trig pointed out. There’s a particularly heinous story where a massively inebriated Jones took a pistol shot at Melbas brother Earl aka Peanut. It’s in the Tales From The Tour Bus – Mike Judge created series. Somehow no lasting charges against Jones came after that.
She put out some pretty cool honky-tonk music on solo records. Check out her Country Girl album on Musicor. Listening to the cut Happy Tears, it strikes me that in addition to being influenced by Jones style, she also clearly picked up a thing or two from Buck Owen’s and the Bakersfield sound. Not surprising, seeing as The Jones Boys and The Buckaroos toured together frequently.
Agree that she’s been a bit overlooked in Country music history. When looking at the bygone era we always mention Loretta , Patsy and Dolly, but Melba Montgomery and Connie Smith should be in the conversation too.
January 17, 2025 @ 6:18 pm
@kev–Melba was a fine singer, but he career is not in the league of Loretta, Pasty, and Dolly–or Connie Smith, who joined the other three in the H-o-F, deservedly, but maybe also thanks to a push from Marty Stuart.
Loretta, Dolly, Patsy and Connie were country stars in their own right, each with multiple #1 hits. Melba was able to release some three dozen single of her own in the 1960s and ’70s, but only 15 charted and only one made the top 10–but it made it to #1.There are other women country singers like Lynn Anderson and Bobbie Gentry who are more in that top tier
If there’s a woman country singer from that era who’s getting a push for the H-o-F, it;s Jeanie Seely, frequent duet partner of Jack Greene. Seely also had one major hit of her own (It it was a great one, “Don’t Touch Me,” but on Wikipedia she gets more space than Greene (a significant country star), and Connie Smith, and major American poular songstresses like Patti Page and Rosemary Clooney.
January 17, 2025 @ 8:06 pm
Thanks for the summation Lucky.
It was not my goal to equate Melba Montgomery on the same hierarchical line as the legends I named. My point is more to the realization that of the early females popular to the era, she often gets forgotten in discussions. And I am implying there’s more to her than just George’s duet partner. Her solo work is an incredibly worthwhile listen. That Musicor album I refer to is pretty great in it’s own right. There is some killer honky- tonk to be found on it. Personally I don’t value an artists worth by how many hits they had, unless you are talking Hall of Fame, then I believe that hits are one legitimate indicator of fame. Though not the only criteria. But, do a deep dive into her music, it’s pretty great stuff.
As for George Jones and Melba, no i don’t believe she made Jones more famous .But, she did mean a lot to Jones for a time personally and professionally. Certainly the Country duet tradition Jones was eventually known for, started with her. The Adam’s Boys talked at length about the tours they did with Melba in tow and how she lit up the stage when she was present. They felt she was every bit a star and they deeply admired her talent and beauty. They were her backing band for many years as well as Jones and Paycheck.
Her brother Earl ” Peanut” worked with Jones for years after Melba and Jones parted ways. And yes Jack Solomon was a Jones boy as mentioned. It’s interesting that she and her brother and husband figured rather prominently in Jones orbit. Though of course later on the Tammy Wynette partnership overshadowed Montgomerys achievements to a large degree. Still Melba Montgomery was a talent and she is deserving of being remembered.
January 18, 2025 @ 9:23 am
Let’s all appreciate this is an obituary for Melba Montgomery, not a discussion on who should be in the Hall of Fame, or what performer is better than another. I think we all could agree that Melba’s contributions were not given as much credit as they could have been, and her passing is a good moment to reconsider that history.
January 17, 2025 @ 1:33 pm
real sad news I have always loved her singing and song writing
January 17, 2025 @ 3:06 pm
I think there’s a bit of an oversight here — you mention George/Tammy and Conway/Loretta getting on a roll in 1971, but didn’t mention Porter & Dolly, who started their prolific duet career in 1968.
January 17, 2025 @ 4:05 pm
That’s another good example. Running down great male/female singing duos probably deserves its own article.
January 18, 2025 @ 8:21 am
not to nitpick, Steverino, but I’m gonna make a generalized statement that Porter and Dolly as a duo weren’t ever on the same level of Conway and Loretta OR George and Tammy.
Part of this is that Porter Wagoner was ‘Tv Country Music’ as opposed to the touring and radio stars who were, as a broad statement, probably taken more seriously. Sure, Porter had his hits but let’s not pretend he wasn’t BEST known for his tv show.
Furthermore, his duets with Dolly began in 68. Dolly only joined the Porter Wagoner outfit one year prior in 1967. Career-wise, her duets with Porter happened BEFORE she was a superstar, whereas Conway and Loretta and George and Tammy were all better established artists.
I’m sure that serious country fans loved Porter and Dolly but its easy to see why they’re overlooked compared to the rest
January 18, 2025 @ 5:51 pm
@Fuzz–I looked up Porter and Dolly and they were bigger than I expected. In the 8-year span from 1968 to 1975, they put out 12 duet albums and all of them made the top 20 on the country chart and ten of them made the top 10.
They also put out 21 singles, extending all the way to 1980, and 14 of those made the top-10 (One hit #1) and another 5 made the top 20. And that’s in addition to the solo work that both of them did.
So yes, Porter and Dolly were not as big as Conway and Loretta or Jones and Wynette, but they may be the third biggest male/female country duet pair of all time, in terms of number of hit albums and singles. (Though I’d say Johnny Cash and June Carter had a more far-reaching presence.)
January 17, 2025 @ 6:29 pm
“The Day I Loose My Mind” coming off the turntable as I read this. Thanks for the magic Mrs. Melba. Step slow and with purpose…
January 17, 2025 @ 9:15 pm
The day you LOSE your mind, not LOOSE!
January 17, 2025 @ 8:46 pm
I just love her singing the woman could really sing I love her song no charge it was beautiful and her singing with George Jones was wonderful sorry to hear of her passing condolences to her family
January 18, 2025 @ 11:04 pm
The best duet partner George ever had.
Tammy’s not even close.
January 17, 2025 @ 9:09 pm
Melba also had a top 30 version of “Angel of
The Morning” before Juice Newton released her version. Hers is a good version as well.
January 26, 2025 @ 5:18 am
I didn’t remember her until you brought up angel of the morning I remember her now My beloved mother had some of releases She was a beautiful woman My prayers are with her and her family may the Lord Jesus Christ bless her
January 17, 2025 @ 9:22 pm
What a great artist she was. R.I.P. sending prayers to family and friends in Jesus name Amen 🙏 ❤️
January 18, 2025 @ 7:38 am
My Sears and Roebuck, Silvertone archtop and me first met up with Melba in 1960 with my G.E. transistor radio. That sound, that harmonizing, with We Must Have Been Out Of Our Minds, did it for me. Been following and admiring her my whole life.
R.I.P. Miss Melba
January 18, 2025 @ 8:21 am
I’ll have to look up those Charlie Louvin duets. Don’t recall hearing those before.
January 18, 2025 @ 12:53 pm
Fuzzy here’s a link to their 1971 album.
https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZWVUg0_QY6CE-D5WLgWtv3kCxiKejcm2#bottom-sheet
January 18, 2025 @ 5:08 pm
You’re a peach.
I’m sure everyone who’s ever read my comments knows the Louvin brothers are one of my favorite country acts and Charlie as a solo artist never got his due in my estimation. I’m gonna enjoy listening to this
January 18, 2025 @ 11:03 pm
Tracy Byrd recorded a duet with Melba for his debut album, on her co-write “Out of Control Raging Fire”.
Sadly, the bosses scrapped her vocals and pushed Dawn Sears instead.
A shame.
January 19, 2025 @ 12:05 am
Dawn Sears was a helluva singer and was a contemporary ot Tracy Byrd, so I can understand why the label teamed Tracy up with Dawn, rather than with an old-timer.
Dawn Sears had the first CD on MCA’s relaunched Decca label in the early-mid ’90s, which I remember buying at a used/promo CD shop on St. Mark’s Place. (Sorry, I stiffed her out of her royalty.) She never had success as a solo artist, but she backed up Vince Gill On his recordings and in concerts and was a member of his crack all-star band, the “Time Jumpers.” The only sad thing about Dawn Sears is that she died young from cancer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-mvBW3CqlQ
January 19, 2025 @ 1:14 am
Yes, Dawn isn’t half bad, and sure, it was a commercial aspect, but you simply don’t scrap a semi-legend to push a never-was. Especially when the semi-legend also wrote the song.
Tracy Byrd was among the very, very few who stuck to stone cold country during the mid-90’s (with a couple of modern sounding stinkers on every album to please MCA). Being able to record a duet with Melba on your debut isn’t something you let pass easily.
January 19, 2025 @ 1:29 pm
Worth pointing out that “No Charge” also made it to #39 on the Hot 100, so it had some appeal to record buyers outside the country genre and got played on American Top 40. That’s something none of her duets ever managed.
January 26, 2025 @ 5:47 am
“No Change” was the greatest song ever sung by Melba Montgomery. It was covered with gusto by gospel music legend Shirley Caesar. Awful sad to hear about Melba passing away. She is singing in heaven’s choir.
January 26, 2025 @ 8:29 am
Don’t forget Earnest Tubb and Loretta Lynn.