JONTAVIOUS WILLIS EARNS GRAMMY NOMINATION FOR ‘BEST TRADITIONAL BLUES ALBUM’

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.