Daniel Monte McLain (May 11, 1955 – November 8, 1995), known by the stage name Country Dick Montana, was an American musician best known as a member of

The Beat Farmers The Beat Farmers are an American rock band that formed in San Diego, California, United States, in August 1983, and enjoyed a cult following into the early 1990s before the death of drummer and sometime lead singer Country Dick Montana. Thei ...

. He was born in Carmel,

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. In 1995, It was reported that Montana suffered a heart attack and died while playing "The Girl I Almost Married" during a Beat Farmers show at the Longhorn Saloon in

Whistler, British Columbia Whistler (, ; , ) is a resort municipality in Squamish-Lillooet Regional District, British Columbia, Canada. It is located in the southern Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains, approximately north of Vancouver and south of Pemberton, Britis ...

, Canada. The cause of death has been otherwise reported by the ''

San Diego Reader The ''San Diego Reader'' is an alternative press newspaper in San Diego County, California. Published weekly since October 1972, the ''Reader'' is distributed free on Wednesday and Thursday via street boxes and cooperating retail outlets. Hi ...

'' (a publication local to the home of the Beat Farmers) as having been ruled as an

aneurysm An aneurysm is an outward :wikt:bulge, bulging, likened to a bubble or balloon, caused by a localized, abnormal, weak spot on a blood vessel wall. Aneurysms may be a result of a hereditary condition or an acquired disease. Aneurysms can also b ...

. The band disbanded shortly thereafter.

Background

In the 1970s, Montana owned a record store called Monty Rockers and was a member of two seminal San Diego bands. He drummed for both punk rock pioneers The Penetrators and roots rock band The Crawdaddys. From 1983 to 1995, Montana played drums, percussion, guitar and accordion for

with founding member Buddy Blue Siegal. Montana also performed lead vocals on at least one song on every Beat Farmers album, singing humorous songs frequently related to drinking. The song "Happy Boy" was popular on The

Dr. Demento Barret Eugene Hansen (born April 2, 1941), known professionally as Dr. Demento, is an American radio broadcaster and record collector specializing in novelty songs, comedy, and strange or unusual recordings dating from the early days of phonograp ...

Radio Show and featured in several feature films. Montana was also famous for his onstage antics, frequently related to drinking. During this time, he was also in the short-lived trio the Pleasure Barons with

Mojo Nixon Neill Kirby McMillan Jr. (August 2, 1957 – February 7, 2024), known professionally as Mojo Nixon, was an American musician and actor best known for his novelty song "Elvis Is Everywhere", which was an alternative staple on MTV. His style coul ...

and

Dave Alvin David Albert Alvin (born November 11, 1955) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer. He is a former and founding member of the roots rock band the Blasters. Alvin has recorded and performed as a solo artist since the late 1980s ...

, The Incredible Hayseeds, Country Dick's Petting Zoo, and Country Dick's Garage. Prior to co-founding the Beat Farmers, Montana put together a band called Country Dick & the Snuggle Bunnies, which included an array of San Diego talent, most of whom would play major roles in the Beat Farmers legacy. The band included: Montana, drums/vocals; Richard Banke (aka

Skid Roper Skid Roper (born Richard Banke, October 19, 1954, in National City, California, United States) is an American musician, most active in the 1980s and early 1990s. He has recorded with several groups including the surf band The Evasions but is bes ...

), mandolin/washboard/vocals; Robin Jackson, guitar/vocals; Paul Kamanski, guitar/vocals; Joey Harris, guitar/vocals; and

Nino Del Pesco Nino Del Pesco (born September 6, 1959 – August 14, 2019) was a musician known for playing in various critically acclaimed and groundbreaking bands throughout his career including the Lonesome Strangers, Snake Farm, the Knights of the Living De ...

, bass/vocals.

Legacy

"The Ballad of Country Dick" by

was written after his death. The song "Happy Boy" was written by Dane Conover, formerly of the Puppies—the band in which Del Pesco played bass prior to joining Country Dick & the Snuggle Bunnies. Conover would later go on to form Trees. In 1996, the posthumous solo album ''The Devil Lied to Me'' was released. A reference to Montana can be found in the 1997

first-person shooter A first-person shooter (FPS) is a video game genre, video game centered on gun fighting and other weapon-based combat seen from a First person (video games), first-person perspective, with the player experiencing the action directly through t ...

video game ''

Redneck Rampage ''Redneck Rampage'' is a 1997 first-person shooter game developed by Xatrix Entertainment and published by Interplay. The game has a hillbilly theme, primarily taking place in a fictional Arkansas town. Many of the weapons and power-ups borde ...

''. In the game, his "tombstone" appears in a graveyard on the 12th level, complete with the words "the devil lied to me" as his epitaph, which refers to his 1996 posthumous album.

References

External links

The Home Of Country Dick MontanaThe ORIGINAL BEAT FARMERS website

The Country Dick Montana Facebook page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Montana, Country Dick 1955 births 1995 deaths Musicians from Carmel-by-the-Sea, California Musicians who died on stage 20th-century American drummers American male drummers 20th-century American male musicians Bar/None Records artists Drummers from California