About the artist
Singer-songwriter and guitarist Jontavious Willis was born in Georgia and grew up singing gospel music alongside his grandfather in church. He discovered the blues at age 14, when he saw a video of Muddy Waters performing Hoochie Coochie Man – and never looked back. In fact, Willis learned to play many styles of country blues including Delta, Piedmont, and Texas, and picked up some more instruments as well. Having been mentored by blues greats such as Keb’Mo’ and Taj Mahal, who took him on tour, this man is on a mission: to reinvigorate today’s blues with the spirit of the past. He self-released his first album, Blue Metamorphosis, in 2016 and three years later shot to fame with its successor Spectacular Class, which debuted at number 12 in the Billboard Blues Chart and was nominated for a Grammy. Mixing dynamic vocals with technical prowess and Southern charm, Willis makes intellectual yet danceable blues. His latest album, West Georgia Blues, was released in 2024.