Monte's story is nearly as fascinating as his music. Raised in Longview, TX., Monte made the bold decision at only 24 to pick up and move to LA in 1999. Soon after arriving, he accepted a job as a guitar store salesman, but after realizing his real interest lied in playing guitars, not selling them, he left to start providing guitar lessons.

What he didn't realize was that his third student would be British filmmaker Guy Ritchie, who had just received a guitar as a gift from his at-the-time girlfriend, Madonna. Monte was soon after introduced to Madonna, and after Ritchie gifted a guitar to her, Monte then became her guitar teacher as well. A month after he started giving guitar lessons to Madonna, he was invited to join her on stage at the David Letterman Show to promote her album, Music.

Monte has played in every incarnation of Madonna's live band since her 2001 Drowned World Tour. Over a decade later, Monte has performed with Madonna on tour and in the studio, sharing writing credits on songs like "Easy Ride" from 2003's American Life, "Hey You," released as a charity single in 2007, "Spanish Lesson" on 2008's Hard Candy and "It's So Cool" from 2009's Celebration.

Monte was also the guitar player for the Industrial Rock band Prong, credited with co-writing songs and co-producing their 2007 album "Power to the Damager," to which he also added backing vocals and bass. Monte is currently the lead guitarist and music director for Adam Lambert's live band, and recently toured on the Glam Nation Tour. His rock influence is evident in Lambert's more recent live performances. Fingers fly on the fretboard during electric solos, while his acoustic skills are showcased in the stripped-down arrangements of Adam's songs.

In November 2009, Monte released his debut solo album, "The Deepest Dark," which features 11 acoustic songs, all written by Pittman, except for "The Circle," which was co-written with Tommy Victor and Adam Lambert. Almost a year after its release, "The Deepest Dark" reached the No. 1 spot on the Best-Selling Acoustic Albums list on CDBaby.com, and was No. 9 in the Top 10 Best-Selling Albums on CDBaby for October 2010.

The prodigious performer is as versatile as he is talented. He continues to be in high demand as a sought-after live musician, singer, songwriter and producer/co-producer. He is currently in the studio recording his second album, "Pain, Love & Destiny," for release this fall.

This year, his Kickstarter campaign raised a staggering $65,500, making him the top musical artist to ever raise the most money on the Kickstarter crowd-funding platform.