Multi-instrumentalist and Blues tunesmith, Jontavious
Willis, has received the GRAMMY Nomination for Best Traditional Blues Album for
his 10-track release, Spectacular Class,
released April 5, 2019 via Kind of Blue Music. 2018 GRAMMY award-winning
artists Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’ played an active role in producing Spectacular
Class with Taj Mahal credited as Executive Producer and Keb' Mo' as the
Producer.
Through original lyrics written by Willis himself, the
gifted musician delivers a timeless album that features dynamic vocals and all
types of blues: Delta, Piedmont, Texas, and Gospel. His stand-out
fingerpicking, flat-picking, and slide prowess are also on display. Many fans
of Willis regard him as an old soul. His style of playing the instruments and
his voice touches the very roots of country blues. He brings back the real
depth of the music.
A newspaper headline once called him a “70-year-old bluesman
in a 20-year-old body.” Hailing from Greenville, Georgia, Willis grew up
singing Gospel music at the Mount Pilgrim Baptist Church with his grandfather.
From an early age, he had the talent and passion for music and the ability to
sharpen his skills fast. At the age of
14, he came across a YouTube video of Muddy Waters playing “Hoochie Coochie
Man” and was instantly hooked on the blues. He got his much-needed break from
the living legend Taj Mahal, who described him as the “Wonderboy” and “the
Wunderkind.” In 2015, Mahal asked Willis to play on stage with him. That
appearance resulted in a roaring response from the audience. It led Willis to
bigger stages and broader opportunities, including an opening slot at select
shows along the TajMo tour, featuring his musical mentors Taj Mahal and Keb’
Mo’. Willis currently appears as the opening act for Keb’ Mo’s 2019 solo tour.
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