Melba Montgomery, Famed Country Singer and George Jones Duet Partner, Dead at 86
Legendary country music singer and George Jones collaborator Melba Montgomery has died at age 86, her daughter announced on Facebook.
Melba Montgomery, legendary country singer and George Jones collaborator, died Wednesday (Jan. 15) after a long battle with dementia. She was 86 years old.
Montgomery’s daughter, Melissa Solomon Barrett, announced her mother’s passing in a Facebook post. “Thank you for loving our mom as much as we have,” she wrote. “She was an incredibly talented, kind and generous woman.”
Montgomery is preceded in death by her husband, Jack Solomon. “We know mom has been waiting to hold dad for over 10 years,” Barrett wrote.
Born Oct. 14, 1938, in Iron City, Tennessee, Melba Montgomery grew up in a singing family. At age 19, she traveled from her home in Florence, Alabama, to sing in a Nashville talent contest held by WSM radio.
Montgomery not only won the contest, but caught the eye of Opry legend Roy Acuff. The “Night Train to Memphis” singer invited the teen to replace June Webb on his ongoing tour.
After touring with Acuff for four years, Montgomery signed her first major-label recording contract with United Artists Records. In 1963, she teamed up with country icon George Jones for the first of many duets between the pair, “We Must Have Been Out of Our Minds.”
Montgomery wrote the track, which ascended to No. 3 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. That same year, the duo released their first studio album, What’s In Our Hearts, which also peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Country LP’s list.
Commercial success on her own didn’t come quite as swiftly. At least, not until Melba Montgomery signed with Elektra Records in 1973. The next year, she recorded and released her only No. 1 hit, “No Charge.”
[RELATED: Behind The Song: Harlan Howard, “No Charge”]
Written as a conversation between a mom and son, “No Charge” celebrates the frequently overlooked staples of motherhood: When you add it all up / The full cost of my love is no charge.
Songwriter Harlan Howard called “No Charge” his favorite song in terms of the impact it had on listeners. “I’ve never written a song that moves people so much,” he said. “I’ve had guys tell me they almost wrecked their truck when they heard it ’cause it made them cry.”
Featured image via X/Twitter