Jontavious Willis, just 27 years old and a Georgia native, decided as a young man on his mission: to revive contemporary blues with the spirit of the past. This is not some superficial plagiarism; his original acoustic blues is authentic, intimate and surprisingly contemporary. Yet in his work we hear echoes of early blues greats such as Robert Johnson and Skip James. As a songwriter, he is often described as a direct follower of a tradition in which the likes of Taj Mahal and Keb' Mo' excel. It's no surprise that his second and most recent album to date, 2019's Grammy-nominated Spectacular Class, was produced by these two living blues legends.

Jontavious was born and raised in rural Georgia and spent most of his childhood singing gospel music in a Baptist church. His passion for the blues was ignited at age 14 when he came across a YouTube video of Muddy Waters playing the famous song “Hoochie Coochie Man.” He achieved widespread recognition when Taj Mahal invited him to accompany him on stage in 2015. Shortly thereafter, in 2018, Jontavious opened for Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’ during their joint TajMo tour.

His acoustic debut album Blue Metamorphosis (2016) received rave reviews in Living Blues and Blues & Rhythm magazines and won the Blues Foundation’s International Blues Challenge 2018 award for Best Self-Produced CD. The Grammy-nominated second album, Spectacular Class, showcases Willis’ exploration of a variety of blues styles with a live ensemble. Jontavious Willis performs original songs dressed in traditional styles and presents a unique blend of time-honored yet modern, intellectual yet danceable blues.