Roughly three years ago, Bryan E sent me a comp that included several tunes by Monti Amundson, a guy I'd never heard of prior to that time. The songs knocked me out and prompted me to spend considerable time trying to track down his CDs. Like numerous other lesser-known American Bluesmen, Amundson--an extraordinary guitarist, fine singer, and solid writer--has his fan base in Europe and is all but completely unknown in the U.S., so finding his music has been a real challenge.

Although I managed to eventually find most of his catalog, the one CD that continued to elude me was Big Monti Blues. The only place I could find that offered it was a website that appeared to be Amundson's, but that didn't inspire confidence that money sent through the site would actually result in getting a CD in return. Having come up empty while looking elsewhere, I decided to take a chance on the Amundson site and I mailed a check several weeks ago.

Last weekend, I got a package that contained a 'burned' copy (with only a plain paper insert denoting the song titles), my check, and a hand-written note from Monti. In the note he apologized for the delay in getting back to me, saying that he's been in the studio recording a new CD. He also explained that he no longer had any "manufactured" copies of Big Monti Blues, which is why he sent a dupe instead. Finally, he said to check the site in a few months for the new CD.

I think it's amazing that the guy took the time to burn a copy for me, return my money, and include a personal note. I'm truly impressed.

Best of all, the music is outstanding. I used three cuts on a comp I burned yesterday.