With all the hallmarks of the classic rocky road to success as a blues musician, Coco Montoya’s story is filled with its share of peaks and valleys. But no matter how you shake it, there always seemed to be a certain feeling of destiny attached to Montoya’s rise to renown, as if he were placed on this earth to play the blues guitar whether he liked it or not. And so he does, bending those strings as though each bone-melting note could be his last.

From Mark Knopfler to Stewart Copeland, it often happens that after putting in a couple decades charting pop radio hits, musicians end up in Hollywood, scoring soundtracks for major motion pictures for the duration of their careers. While it was once entirely unheard of, these days you'll often hear of the reverse trend occurring, and Pete Yorn is one of the latest artists emerging from this growing Hollywood underground.

When it comes to vintage rock ’n’ roll, the popularity of few bands has crossed generations and weathered the years like that of Creedence Clearwater Revival. Together and recording a mere half decade between 1967 and 1972, the band’s music has long outlived the namesake of its collective makers, as well as any lingering feelings from the bitter feud that tore them apart. But by this point, staple hits like “Proud Mary,” “Run Through the Jungle,” and “Green River” have become virtual appendages to the institution of American radio as they continue to inform and influence the culture.