JW-Jones

JW-Jones
Background information
Born	(1980-07-15) July 15, 1980 Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Genres	Blues, Jump blues, Rock and Roll, Swing, Soul, Roots
Instruments	Guitar, Vocals, Drums
Years active	1998–present
Website	jw-jones.com

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JW-Jones (born July 15, 1980, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) is a 2015 Juno Award Nominee, Billboard Magazine Top 10 Selling^[1] Canadian blues guitarist, singer, songwriter, and band leader. Jones' first recording contract was signed with CrossCut Records (Germany) in 2000, who released his first seven CDs in Europe. He was the first artist signed to the NorthernBlues Music label in Toronto, Canada, and released his first six recordings with the label. Jones has also worked with Ruf Records in the USA, and is now signed to Blind Pig Records. In the last decade, he has released seven albums and played in 19 countries, four continents, and continues to tour extensively. Jones, who lives in Ottawa, Ontario, has performed at blues festivals, theatres and clubs in Canada, the USA, Europe, Russia, Australia, and Brazil.

On June 19, 2014, Jones was presented with a Forty Under 40 Award by Ottawa Business Journal/Ottawa Chamber of Commerce. It is a celebration of entrepreneurship in Ottawa - a "salute to the region’s young business stars who balance business achievement, professional expertise and community involvement."^[2]

Critical response

In May 2009, Jones' song "Parasomnia" appeared on a Guitar World featured CD, Guitar Masters Vol. 2, among B.B. King, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, and Carlos Santana. The Canadian national newspaper Globe and Mail referred to Jones as "one of this country's top blues guitar stars". The US Blues Revue Magazine stated that "Jones' style is a fluid amalgam of T-Bone Walker's big, bright chords, Johnny "Guitar" Watson's slashing leads, and Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown's jazzy sting". Billboard called Jones part of "a new wave of young talent moving onto Canada’s blues stage."^[3]

Charlie Musselwhite stated that "JW Jones is one of the best guitar players I’ve heard in a long time. He and his band do great tunes with cool arrangements and I love listening to them. They play with taste and fire at the same time." Guitarist Little Charlie Baty has stated that "JW is one of the young guns in the blues guitar world who consistently delivers the goods on record and on stage - and of course I'm gonna dig anybody who writes a tune called 'Batyology'!" (an instrumental that Jones wrote in homage to Baty). Canadian-born Hollywood actor Dan Aykroyd, who is also known for his Blues Brothers persona "Elwood Blues" has called the group an "amazing blues band".^[4]

Career

Late 1990s

Jones, who attended Ridgemont High School in Ottawa, Ontario, won the 1998 R&R Concerts "Battle of the Bands", at the age of eighteen. The prize package included studio time that was used to record a six song demo that was later reviewed by Blues Revue. The next year, Jones won the 1999 Ottawa Blues Guitar Riff-Off competition. The prize package included studio time that was used to record his debut album Defibrillatin (SBR001-2000 / NBM0001-2001). The debut album included Steve Marriner, a then-high-school-age Ottawa blues harp player. AllMusic states that the "Keyboardist [Pierre] Chretien [on organ and piano] is credited with bringing a jazz influence to Jones' and the band's sound" during that time period.^[5] The CD liner notes state that Steve Hiscox played drums on the album and Nathan Morris played upright bass. Morris played on several subsequent albums and played and toured with the band. On subsequent albums, Morris is also credited for electric bass.

2000-2009

In the 2000s, Jones has been invited to perform onstage with a number of blues bands and artists, including The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Junior Watson, Little Charlie & the Nightcats, Rusty Zinn, Rick Holmstrom, Rod Piazza & The Mighty Flyers, Anson Funderburgh & The Rockets, The Mannish Boys, and Hubert Sumlin. Jones' second album was Bogart's Bounce, which included performances by singer/blues "harp" player Kim Wilson (from The Fabulous Thunderbirds) and pianist Gene Taylor (from The Blasters).

JW Jones playing guitar.

His third album with his band, My Kind Of Evil (2004), was produced by multi-Grammy nominee Kim Wilson (singer for The Fabulous Thunderbirds), and includes vocals from Canadian singer/guitarist Colin James on two tracks, and Roxanne Potvin on one. Songs from the album have been played internationally syndicated House of Blues Radio Hour. Music reviewer Brad Wheeler from Canada's Globe and Mail newspaper praised the "graceful ability he (Jones) shows on guitar" in the album.^[6] Wheeler stated that "...the Ottawa player makes retro moves, layering swinging blues with keyboards and very noticeable horns that never dominate the fine-lined fills and lead work." The Allmusic review of My Kind of Evil, by Chris Nickson, states that "He's very good on covers, such as “I Don't Know," but his own songs — the vast majority of this disc — have plenty of life."^[7]

In 2006, Jones released his fourth album, Kissing in 29 Days, which included performances by David "Fathead" Newman on tenor sax. Newman was the main saxophone player with Ray Charles for 12 years. In Blues Revue Magazine (Apr/May 2006-Issue #99), Bret Kofford's article "The JW-Jones Blues Band - A Rising Star Chases the Sound of Thunder(birds)" stated that "JW-Jones is highly regarded in blues circles."

On May 13, 2008, the fifth album, Bluelisted hit stores. The recording features special guests Little Charlie Baty (leader of the band Little Charlie & the Nightcats, which records on Alligator Records), Junior Watson, Richard Innes, and Larry Taylor. The liner notes are written by Hollywood celebrity Dan Aykroyd.

Less than a year after the release of Bluelisted, on May 6, 2009, Hubert Sumlin (77), a blues guitarist who worked with Howlin' Wolf for over 20 years and was named in the 100 Greatest Guitarists of all time by Rolling Stone magazine, recorded with JW-Jones at Sun Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. The rhythm section was Richard Innes and Larry Taylor (who appear on 2008's Bluelisted).

2010-present

Midnight Memphis Sun (NorthernBlues/CrossCut/Ruf) was released on August 10, 2010. In April 2011, Jones landed an endorsement deal with Gibson Guitars. Jones' seventh release, Seventh Hour (March 27, 2012), hit #1 on B.B. King's Bluesville on XM Sirius Satellite Radio, and led the band to performing at Buddy Guy's Legends in Chicago (February 2013), and opening for B.B. King at the RBC Ottawa Bluesfest (July 14, 2013).

Jones was asked to co-host the Maple Blues Awards in Toronto on January 20, 2014, which took place mid-way through a tour with Johnny Winter. Jones opened for Jimmie Vaughan in May of the same year.

On June 19, 2014, Jones was presented with a Forty Under 40 Award by Ottawa Business Journal/Ottawa Chamber of Commerce. It's the biggest and best celebration of entrepreneurship in Ottawa - the salute to the region’s young business stars who balance business achievement, professional expertise and community involvement.^[2]

"Belmont Boulevard" was released on October 14 and is Jones's first release for American blues label Blind Pig Records, recorded in Nashville with Grammy Award winning producer Tom Hambridge. It debuted at #9 on Billboard Magazine Blues Charts, November 8, 2014.^[1] The disc was released in Canada on October 7, distributed by Stony Plain Records, debuted and held the #1 position on Roots Music Report (radio air-play chart) in Canada for thirteen (13) weeks between October 2014 and February 2015.^[8] The release has been nominated as Blues Album of the Year at the Juno Awards, Recording of the Year at Maple Blues Awards, and Jones was nominated for Guitarist of the Year.

After Buddy Guy sang with JW-Jones at Buddy Guy's Legends (Chicago, IL) on April 14, 2015, he asked Jones to play guitar with him during two sold-out shows at Centrepointe Theatre in Ottawa, Canada on April 27 & 28, 2015. Buddy joined the band for the fourth time in seven months, at his club on November 15, 2015.

On July 17, 2015, Canned Heat invited Jones to perform during their set at Ottawa Bluesfest in Ottawa, Canada, and on September 12, 2015, Canned Heat invited Jones to perform during their set at Southside Shuffle Jazz & Blues Festival in Mississauga, Ontario,

Acting and modelling

Jones has appeared in various acting roles on television; Bar Rescue (Spike TV) - Season 3, Episode 20, and commercials; Vinci tablet, Metropolitan Restaurant (Ottawa, Canada). He has done modelling for Indochino Suits, and high-tech company, Unify.

Awards and nominations

Discography

Solo releases

References

External links

• JW-Jones - Official Site
• JW-Jones - on MySpace