⬇️ JONTAVIOUS WILLIS ⬇️
(3CD)
He has been mentored through his early career by Keb' Mo', and Taj
Mahal.
Jontavious Willis was born in Greenville, Georgia, United States. He
grew up singing gospel music, alongside his grandfather, at his
local Mount Pilgrim Baptist Church. At the age of 14, Willis watched
an online video of Muddy Waters performing "Hoochie Coochie Man" and
was drawn towards blues music. He learned to play many styles of
country blues including Delta, Piedmont, and Texas, eventually
becoming adept on the guitar as a fingerpicker, flatpicker and slide
player. He developed further in his teens towards an autodidactic
multi-instrumentalist. In addition to the guitar, Willis taught
himself to play the harmonica and five string banjo. He studied at
Columbus State University, majoring in sociology and anthropology.
His playing progressed and he was given a big opportunity in 2015
when Taj Mahal invited Willis onto the stage to perform Taj Mahal
stated afterwards, "That's my Wonderboy, the Wunderkind". The
exposure led to appearances at music festivals and Willis self
released his debut album, Blue Metamorphosis, in April 2017. Blue
Metamorphosis got favorable reviews from both Living Blues and Blues
& Rhythm magazines. Paul Oscher stated "When I heard him play I
said to myself: this is how the blues, as I know it, is going to
stay alive." In 2018, the album earned recognition from the Blues
Foundation through the International Blues Challenge, where it
received the 'Best Self-Produced CD Award'.
In 2017, Keb' Mo' had partnered up with Taj Mahal to release a joint
album, TajMo. It won the 2018 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary
Blues Album. On the resulting promotional tour, Willis played as the
support act for the two seasoned blues men on several dates.
On April 5, 2019, Willis released his follow up album, Spectacular
Class. The album was issued on Kind of Blue Music. Taj Mahal was
credited as executive producer and Keb' Mo' as producer. The
collection contained ten sides with the lyrical content all penned
by Willis. He provided vocals and acoustic guitar
(fingerpicker/flatpicker/slide) with Keb' Mo' on electric guitar,
Eric Ramey on bass, Phil Madeira on keyboards, plus Martin Lynds and
Thaddeus Witherspoon on drums. Spectacular Class debuted at number
12 in the Billboard Blues Albums Chart in May 2019, and was
nominated for the 2020 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues
Album.
Tour dates for 2019 and beyond include concerts in the US,
Switzerland, Denmark, Norway, Canada, and Puerto Rico.
NEW!
2024-West Georgia Blues @FLAC