By Rosalind Cummings-Yeates
MORE WILLIS BLUES
A
ccording to Jontavious Willis, “blues
is a deep thing. It’s deeper than just
music.” This is a fact that all true
blues musicians know and experience, typi-
cally after decades of being entrenched in
blues culture and the inequitable landscape
of American society. But at only 23,
Jontavious has managed to capture the
depth of blues culture with a pivotal new
album and a historical awareness that belies
blues are the same music, by the same peo-
ple, he explained. “It’s just a different
method.”
The standout tune on an album
crammed with highlights is “The Blues Is
Dead?” a clever, slide guitar romp that
declares, “stop with that foolish talk/it ain’t
nothing but some mess/you know the blues
ain’t dead/it’s just taking a rest.” Well, actu-
ally there’s nothing restful about the way
Jontavious Willis
his age. “I want people to understand that
blues isn’t linear. Everything my grandfa-
ther and grandmother spoke was the blues.
It can go so many different ways: Piedmont,
ragtime, boogie-woogie, Delta, finger
pickin.’” The fact that all of these blues
styles are represented on his CD, Spectacular
Class (Kind of Blue Music) is just a small
aspect of the inspirational talent of this
young bluesman.
“When I was around 14, playing the gui-
tar and I saw the way people responded to
the music, that gave me the idea that I might
be a bluesman when I grew up,” recalls
Jontavious. Growing up in the tiny, rural
town of Greenville, Georgia (population
864), he at different periods wanted to be a
chef, a preacher and an actor but music was
always a constant in his life. He grew up
singing in the church but wasn’t impressed
when he received enthusiastic responses
from the members. “People will clap for
anything in church,” he said. “When you’re
under 12, they’re so happy to see any partic-
ipation. I learned everything about music in
church, but it wasn’t until I performed for
more secular audiences that I realized that
this might be something that I could do for a
career.”
Although Jontavious promised his
grandparents that he would finish college so
that he would have a conventional career,
his graduation with a social science degree
in May was just his most recent accomplish-
ment. He earned the degree with his sights
on the job market, but he has already laid a
firm foundation for an illustrious music
career with his new CD Spectacular Class.
The near-perfect 10-track album brims with
a wide array of blues styles that meld tradi-
tional sounds with contemporary flair. With
evocative songwriting and shimmering
musicianship, that includes guitar, banjo,
and harmonica, Jontavious proves that the
blues is alive and well and he is its rightful
heir.
Although he was raised in the church
and wasn’t exposed to blues culture until he
was older, Jontavious doesn’t subscribe to
the old “devil’s music” trope. “Gospel and
14 illinoisentertainer.com september 2019
this young musician journeys through blues
genres; rag-time, Texas, Piedmont and coun-
try, all receive careful attention and the skill
of an octogenarian bluesman hiding out in a
Millennial's body. In fact, Jontavious lists
his’ 90-year-old, preacher grandfather as his
biggest influence.
“My grandfather doesn’t have a large
vocal range, but it’s mellow and impactful,”
he said. “It’s effortless, and that’s it. He
doesn’t do runs or bravado. His voice repre-
sents God, culture, and the South.”
All three also define Jontavious and his
music. There’s nothing flashy or ill-defined
about his music. Even his humor, displayed
in the witty “Friend Zone Blues,” which
examines a modern romantic plight with the
verses, “I feel bad/I feel terrible/the way
you’re doing me wrong/every time I try to
be your man/you throw me in the friend
zone,” carries weight. It’s clear that this is a
musician that takes the blues seriously. That
seriousness and skill were what impressed
Taj Mahal enough to invite Jontavious to join
him during a show, calling him, “ the new
voice of the 21st century in acoustic blues.” “
That was the most pressure I’ve ever felt in
my career, playing on Taj Mahal’s stage,” he
said. “At that point, the most I’d played in
front of was 75-100 people. I got on stage,
and a crowd of thousands yelled and
screamed.” Jontavious went on to open for
Taj Mahal for 40 shows. At 19-years-old, his
career was set with a nod from the leg-
endary bluesman. Taj Mahal and Keb Mo
produced Spectacular Class and also act as
mentors for Jontavious. “I hang around
older people a lot; my oldest friend will be
100 in January. I have younger friends too,
but it’s valuable to be around older people
because they don’t have that much time and
they’re waiting for someone to talk to.”
Clearly, Jontavious has been listening.
“There are all different shades of blues. I
want to illuminate that history; I want peo-
ple to listen to the words of my music and
what I’m saying.”
Jontavious Willis performs at the North Shore
Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie, on
September 13.