It’s a wonderful life for Carol Montag

Part of what the beloved film "It's a Wonderful Life" is about is a man dealing with how he gave up his personal dreams for the greater good of others.

Carol Montag can relate since her life might be very different in a parallel universe.

The choice for many entertainers, particularly females, is career or children. Folk legend Tom Paxton once gushed about Montag after he experienced the Ames native perform. Paxton described her as a "Genuine discovery and the best thing to come out of Iowa since Bonnie Koloc."

  Buy Photo

That's high praise since Koloc, a Waterloo native, is considered to be one of the three main Illinois-based folk singers in the 1970s, along with John Prine and Steve Goodman. The troika was known as the Holy Trinity of the Chicago folk scene more than a half-century ago.

Paxton's endorsement is priceless. It's the kind of rave that opens industry doors.

"What Tom said means everything," Montag said. "It really is wonderful what he said. We all need other people's support as musicians."

Paxton is aware of Montag's gifts, and the Cedar Rapids resident is aware of her ability. Montag has always been a singer-songwriter. She has released albums and toured, but music took a backseat to family.

"I got married and had three sons," Montag said. "I always knew that I wanted to have a family. That took priority over everything else. When I was traveling and the kids were little, it was really hard sometimes. You're out performing on the road, and you come home late at night and you're not able to fall asleep quickly after a performance. Then I would finally fall asleep and someone would wake up crying."

It was a tough call for Montag since her father knew of her gifts and supported her musical dreams.

"My dad would comment about my musical career," Montag said. "He really wanted me to go for it. That was great, but the problem is if I did that, I felt like I would be abandoning my family. I was dedicated to my family. My sons couldn't do without their mom. I knew what I had to do to do them justice. So it became family first and music second. I don't regret that at all."

Who knows what could have been if Montag decided to pursue music full-time? But there will be no Ghost of Christmas Past or Christmas Future when Montag performs Saturday at CSPS when she delivers her aptly named “A Carol Christmas" show. Montag will draw from her two Christmas albums "Silent Night" and "Simple Gifts."

"There's nothing like a Christmas show," Montag said. "I'll be performing a combination of Christmas carols, traditional songs and fun, contemporary songs. It's always a wonderful time when I do these shows. I love the classic songs that we all grew up with. To try and rearrange these songs is a mistake."

Montag, 71, will be backed by multi-instrumentalist Bruce Millard, who will play guitar, mandolin and banjo; pianist Gerard Estells and drummer Jim White.

"I'm so excited to perform with such incredibly talented musicians," Montag said.

Montag is thrilled to be back at CSPS, which is where she showcased her latest album, "Strange Ballet," in August. The moving release features 11 original songs. Some of the poignant tunes are stripped down and solo, either with Montag on guitar or piano. Some of the tracks are fleshed out with a full band.

The title track was inspired by a land hurricane that swept through Eastern Iowa in August 2020. The derecho caused widespread damage with peak winds of 140 mph. The natural disaster devastated much of what was in its wake and is the costliest thunderstorm event in U.S. history, obliterating crops and destroying homes and businesses, particularly in the Cedar Rapids area.

"The name of the album was inspired by a lot of activity in our (Northeast) neighborhood," Montag said. "I remember these huge trees that were affected. I remember watching a crane remove a detached branch. It was upside down and it looked like a woman's skirt, and I thought, 'Now that looks like a strange ballet.’"

Fascinating observation. No wonder Paxton is so taken with Montag, who delivered an atmospheric concert at CSPS. A single spotlight focused on Montag, who was surrounded by candles as two dancers performed.

Montag is enjoying a solid career, which includes five solo albums, that's still obviously evolving. The bonus is that she has a family. She enjoys the support of her husband Paul, an architect, who specializes in senior living and healthcare, and her three sons Matt, who lives in San Francisco, Peter, who resides in Des Moines and Patrick, who remains in Cedar Rapids.

"I'm happy where I'm at in my life," Montag said. "I'm fine with everything. It all worked out."