Oteil Burbridge (The Dead & Company, The Allman Brothers Band, The Tedeschi Trucks Band) and I sat down for a conversation about his Christian faith, God, music, politics, and appearing with Peter Sellers in Being There. Recorded on the Allman Brothers' tour bus, in Knoxville, TN, before a show (October 2009), the interview is slightly edited for content and length, and split into two parts. There's no fancy high production value - just us sitting on the bus.
Rev. Bert Montgomery grew up outside of New Orleans, lived in Memphis, and dearly loves the state that connects the two. He believes Willie Nelson has achieved sainthood in this life, that Jesus would much prefer coffee with Ellen DeGeneres over Pat Robertson, that James Brown offers the best steps toward an active faith, and that Arlo Guthrie has a better grasp of the Gospel than most Baptist preachers.
Bert has delivered pizzas for an independent restaurant, cleaned toilets and mopped floors for a large church, worked as a juvenile court probation officer in two different cities, and served local congregations as a youth minister and as senior pastor. Presently, he is pastor of University Baptist Church in Starkville, MS, and he is an instructor in two departments at Mississippi State University.
Bert’s columns have appeared in multiple newspapers and and in The Huffington Post, Red Letter Christians, EthicsDaily, and more.
