When John Mayall reformed his long-defunct Bluesbreakers in the 1980s without Eric Clapton, Peter Green or Mick Taylor, but made up for its lack of star power with the sheer force of new guitarist Coco Montoya, a one-time drummer for Albert Collins who was hungry to prove himself on the ax. Montoya went solo in the ’90s, releasing a string of albums, which have found the guitarist moving away from traditional blues in favor of heavier rock sounds and, on his most recent disc, 2007’s Dirty Deal, a slick R&B sound indebted to Robert Cray.
Coco Montoya
Tonight @ Turner Hall Ballroom, 8 p.m.