Live Review: Jontavious Willis Weathers The Storm And Brings The Blues To The Ramkat

Blues reformer Jontavious Willis wraps 12-bar tribulations in real-world catharsis with sly humor, unrestrained finger picking and deft storytelling. 

The 28-year-old Grammy nominated singer/songwriter from Greenville, Georgia, has played some of the country’s biggest stages opening for genre mainstays Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’ during their joint TajMo tour, but his stripped down, solo performance defines the modern-day Blues experience. 

Willis radiates blues cred while bending the strings of Blues with self-penned, relevant songs that echo the past. 

Recently, Willis helmed what amounted to a salon for an audience of 50 format enthusiasts at Gas Hill Drinking Room at The Ramkat in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on what he called a “hell and high water” night of storms.  

“Every show has its own character,” Willis said. “I like intimate spots. Some of the best shows are when you can see people’s reactions. When you see people sway into the song. I like big places, I’ve played them, you know. But when you can see the emotion and hear the sound bounce back to you, I appreciate intimate music. This is what the blues is.”

A self-taught prodigy, Willis’ style effortlessly bridges Delta, Piedmont, Texas and Gospel blues with storytelling as the central pillar. His rural upbringing energizes his authentic, likeable, back-porch delivery.

“It’s really fun on the blues side, to connect the dots where you have culture meeting community,” said Atiba Berkley, president of the Piedmont Blues Preservation Society based in nearby Greensboro. “And it’s almost completely outside of commercialism. Experiences like this are more organic. He’s able to bring people into that experience.”

Standing at the microphone, Willis sang, “Time ain’t no good here” and went on to captivate the room for the next 90 minutes. He pulled out all the stops and stunts including playing slide with his forearm, evoking the classic train songs on harmonica and paying homage to the icons from W. C. Handy to Mississippi John Hurt and even Doc Watson.  

“There was this one guitar trick, we were back in the corner cutting up because this dude made a talk box with an acoustic guitar,” Berkley enthused. “And no effects pedals. I was like, ‘Come on man. That doesn’t happen.’”

Willis’ reverence for the music was obvious, but despite performing at Mount Pilgrim Baptist Church from the age of 3, the blues message was far from preachy. The delivery was intellectual and you could dance to it with couples swaying and shuffling near a refurbished mid-century vending machine.

A nimble finger picker, flat picker and slide player, his cover of Lightnin’ Hopkins’ “Give Me Back That Wig” got laughs and Willis mined the double entendre central to the genre throughout his 16-song set. Understandable when you consider that his passion for the format was ignited at 14 when Willis came across a YouTube video of Muddy Waters playing “I’m Your Hoochie Coochie Man.”

Willis said he was inspired by a time when the blues were plentiful and rhythm reigned supreme. And he performed like a man on a mission. He sang acapella. He led audience participation songs. He embodied the spirit of the format and the originators who garnered attention on the strength of their personalities as much as their playing ability. 

“It was very personal; without any backup band,” said Michelle Steeme, 47, of Winston Salem, who discovered Willis in 2022 at the Carolina Blues Festival presented by the Piedmont Blues Preservation Society. “He’s a traditional blues artist and he paid homage to his roots.” 

Working without a setlist, Willis crossed formats with ease including a cover of “Stewball,” which was released by Peter, Paul & Mary in 1963. 

“I’ve seen a lot of guitar players, but that is something different,” offered Berkely. “He’s just really talented. Pick up tempo. Take down tempo. Tickle your ears and make you dig in emotionally.”

His original compositions blended effortlessly among the classics including “Long Winded Woman” and “The blues is Dead?” from his sophomore record, Spectacular Class, which was nominated for a Grammy in 2020 for Best Traditional Blues Album, and Blue Metamorphosis, his acoustic 2016 debut, which won the Blues Foundation’s International Blues Challenge Award for Best Self-Produced CD. 

Willis also performed original songs from his upcoming album on Strolling Bones Records, including the contemplative “Ghost Woman” and the setting-priorities-to-a-danceable-beat groove with “Keep Your Worries on the Dance Floor.” The album was recorded at Capricorn Sound Studios in Macon, Georgia, and is scheduled for release this summer. Willis will be performing April 28 at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. 

“Jontavious is an amazing torchbearer for American blues music,” offered Andy Tennille, co-owner of The Ramkat. “What he does, the tradition that he continues, I’m thrilled that we could have him at Gas Hill Drinking Room, an intimate room where he gets to shine and not only play his music but tell stories. It’s an intimate performance of an artist that is continuing a tradition that not many people are doing anymore. That’s exciting for me.”