Rising blues artist,
Jontavious Willis has earned nominations in three categories at the 41st Blues
Music Awards, including Best Emerging Artist Album and Traditional Blues Album
for the project, Spectacular Class, as well as a nomination for Traditional
Blues Male Artist. Spectacular Class has also recently been nominated for a
GRAMMY® for Best Traditional Blues Album. The 41st Blues Music Awards will be
held on May 7, 2020, at the Cannon Center of Performing Arts in Memphis, Tenn.
What critics are saying about Spectacular Class: "There's something deeper and more intuitive in this
22-year-old, this new face of the acoustic blues. He's one of the few African
American musicians of his generation to immerse himself in these traditions and
make them his own." – WMOT Roots Radio
"With his natural talent, contagious enthusiasm, near
encyclopedic knowledge of blues history and new album in hand, Willis is the
new face of old blues... The blues ain’t going nowhere with Willis on the
scene." - Creative Loafing
Willis revealed Spectacular Class to the world on April 5,
2019 via Kind of Blue Music. 2018 GRAMMY® award-winning artists Taj Mahal and
Keb’ Mo’ as the Executive Producer and Producer, respectively, were influential
in the creation of the album. The timeless album features Willis’ original
handwritten lyrics, his outstanding instrumental skills, and a variety of blues
types.
An old soul at heart, a newspaper headline once called him a
“70-year-old bluesman in a 20-year-old body.” His musical style digs deep and
touches the very roots of country blues.
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’.
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