Following a GRAMMY® Nomination for “Best Traditional Blues Album”
(Nashville, Tenn. – Jan. 8, 2020) – 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. For more information, visit The Blues Foundation website.
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’.
To view a list of upcoming tour dates, visit http://jontaviouswillis.com/tour.
For more information, please visit www.JontaviousWillis.com and follow him on Facebook and Instagram.
CONTACT:
Christy Walker-Watkins – AristoPR – 615-269-7071 – Christy@aristomedia.com
Kim Kaminske – AristoPR – 615-269-7071 – Kim@aristomedia.com
