Grammy-nominated blues artist Jontavious Willis is making his way to Montgomery’s Capitol Oyster Bar on Sunday for 5 p.m. outdoor show.
“To me the blues is the most important musical genre and the roots of many others,” Willis said. “Deeper than that it is a cultural thing for me and my heritage. I feel when I play the blues I am connecting with those before me and presenting it to others, a spiritual type thing.”
The 24-year-old Greenville, Georgia native grew up singing gospel music at Mount Pilgrim Baptist Church with his grandfather. 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.
“In some aspects the same problems of those day are still occurring,” Willis said, speaking of connecting to the music of his great-great grandfather’s day. “Out of all the current music, I connect with the blues the best. The same blues songs of the Jim Crow era can still be sung today. The songs about getting mistreated and abused are still fights we battle daily.”
Willis, a multi-instrumentalist, earned a Grammy nomination this year for his latest album Spectacular Class. The album, with original lyrics by Willis, pays tribute to different kinds of blues: Delta, Piedmont, Texas, and Gospel.
“My instrument sound is simple; my voice is what I put on the forefront,” Willis said. “I feel that’s what the blues is about. When you start focusing on your instrument more than vocals you are forgetting the purpose of the blues, which is to tell a story.”
Until virus conditions hit in March, Willis had been touring internationally.
“Jontavious Willis. That’s my Wonderboy, the Wunderkind,” said Grammy-winning artist Taj Mahal, who worked with Keb’ Mo’ in producing Willis’ new album. “(Willis is) a great new voice of the 21st century in the acoustic blues. I just love the way he plays. He has really just delightful timing and a real voice for the music because he was raised in the tradition and the culture. It’s just wonderful to hear him sing.”
Willis is bringing three other young artists with him to Montgomery’s show: Little Dylan, a gifted blues/R&B vocalist from St. Louis; Stephen Hull, guitarist and bass player from Wisconsin; and Jayy Hopp, blues teen guitar phenom from LaGrange, Georgia.
Tables for the Capitol Oyster Bar show are $120. They’re spaced out to comply with coronavirus guidelines, with 8 seat tables on the river side in front of the stage, and additional tables on the covered patio on the side. Guests must wear masks going to and away from their tables.
For more information, call Capitol Oyster Bar at 334-239-8958. Visit them online at capitoloysterbar.com and on Facebook.