Monte Pittman, the son of a rodeo cowboy, was born and raised in the Bible Belt town of Longview. Against those odds, Monte made his way to Hollywood where he became an award-winning heavy metal guitarist and along the way ended up teaching Madonna how to play the guitar.
After taking guitar lessons he was 13 when he joined a band, Insanity which morphed into the East Texas metal band Myra Mains. Monte moved to Hollywood in 1999 and went to work at the Guitar Center where he gave guitar lessons to Guy Ritchie and his wife, Madonna, who then invited him to join her on the Late Show with David Letterman.
Madonna then invited him to join her Drowned World Tour (2001). Monte has played in every incarnation of Madonna’s live band since then. He shares writing credits with Madonna on the tracks “Easy Ride” from American Life (2003) and “It’s So Cool” from Celebration (2009).
Monte has also played on Madonna’s studio recordings, appearing on 2005’s Confessions on a Dance Floor (Like It Or Not) and 2008’s Hard Candy (Spanish Lesson & Ring My Bell). He also backed her during the 2012 XLVI Superbowl Halftime show where he debuted his new signature Jarrell MPS guitar.
When he’s not on the road with Madonna, Monte is the bass player and composer for Prong with whom he has recorded four albums. He has also worked in the studio with Melanie C. and Sophie Ellis-Bextor. He is currently on the road with Ministry, adeptly filling in the shoes of late Texas Tornado guitarist Mike Scaccia.
Prior to Adam Lambert’s audition on American Idol, Pittman, Lambert, Tommy Victor from Prong and Steve Sidelnyk formed a band named The Citizen Vein. For the tour supporting his debut album, Lambert hired Pittman as his guitarist and musical director. Lambert and the band appeared on several TV shows as well as the Gridlock New Year’s Eve 2010 festival.
When he isn’t playing with Madonna or Prong, Monte has found time to release six solo albums: The Deepest Dark (2009); Pain, Love & Destiny (2011); The Power of Three (2012); Inverted Grasp of Balance (2016); Between the Space (2018) and Better or Worse (2018).
Monte was nominated in four categories at Artists in Music Awards and by popular demand he was also invited to perform at the ceremony on February 10, 2012. He won the award for “Best Solo Artist.” He is also the recipient of a “Career Achievement Award – Guitarist” for the Hollywood F.A.M.E. Awards.
