JW-Jones facts for kids

Quick facts for kids JW-Jones
JW-Jones in Los Angeles (2023)
Background information
Born	(1980-07-15) July 15, 1980 (age 45) Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Genres	Blues, jump blues, rock and roll, swing revival, soul, roots
Instruments	Guitar, vocals, drums
Years active	1998–present

JW-Jones (born July 15, 1980) is a Canadian blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He also leads his own band. He was nominated for a Juno Award in 2015. His music has been in the Top 10 on Billboard magazine's charts. He won the "Best Self-Produced CD Award" at the International Blues Challenge in 2017 for his album 'High Temperature'. In 2020, he won "Best Guitarist" at the same event.

Jones signed his first record deal in 2000 with CrossCut Records in Germany. They released his first seven CDs in Europe. He was also the first artist to sign with the NorthernBlues Music record label in Toronto. He has released nine studio albums and one live album. JW-Jones has performed in 23 countries across four continents. He continues to tour a lot. He lives in Ottawa, Ontario, and has played at many blues festivals, theatres, and clubs. These include places in Canada, the USA, Europe, the United Kingdom, Russia, Australia, and Brazil.

On June 19, 2014, Jones received a "Forty Under 40 Award." This award celebrates young business leaders in Ottawa. It recognizes people who are successful in business and also help their community.

Career Highlights

Early Years (1990s)

JW-Jones started his music journey as a drummer. He was invited to play with famous blues artists like Big Jack Johnson and Jumpin' Johnny Sansone.

Later, as a guitarist and singer, Jones won the 1998 R&R Concerts "Battle of the Bands." He was only eighteen years old. This win gave him studio time to record a six-song demo. The next year, he won the 1999 Ottawa Blues Guitar Riff-Off competition. This prize helped him record his first album, Defibrillatin, released in 2000. The album featured Steve Marriner, a young blues harmonica player from Ottawa.

Growing Success (2000-2009)

In the 2000s, Jones was often invited to play with many blues bands and artists. These included The Fabulous Thunderbirds and Hubert Sumlin. His second album, Bogart's Bounce, featured Kim Wilson (from The Fabulous Thunderbirds) and pianist Gene Taylor.

JW Jones playing guitar.

His third album, My Kind of Evil (2004), was produced by Kim Wilson. It also included vocals from Canadian singer Colin James. Songs from this album were played on the House of Blues Radio Hour. A reviewer from The Globe and Mail newspaper praised Jones' "graceful ability" on guitar.

In 2006, Jones released his fourth album, Kissing in 29 Days. This album featured David "Fathead" Newman, who was a main saxophone player for Ray Charles for many years.

His fifth album, Bluelisted, came out in 2008. It included special guests like Little Charlie Baty and Junior Watson. The famous actor Dan Aykroyd wrote the notes for the album. In 2009, Hubert Sumlin, a legendary blues guitarist, recorded with JW-Jones at Sun Studios in Memphis, Tennessee.

Touring and Awards (2010-2019)

Jones' album Midnight Memphis Sun was released in 2010. In 2011, he signed a deal with Gibson Guitars. His seventh album, Seventh Hour (2012), reached #1 on B.B. King's Bluesville radio station. This led to his band playing at Buddy Guy's Legends in Chicago. He also opened for B.B. King at the RBC Ottawa Bluesfest in 2013.

In 2014, Jones co-hosted the Maple Blues Awards. He also toured with Johnny Winter and opened for Jimmie Vaughan.

His album "Belmont Boulevard" was released in 2014. It was recorded in Nashville with Grammy-winning producer Tom Hambridge. The album reached #9 on Billboard's Blues Charts. It was also nominated for Blues Album of the Year at the Juno Awards.

After playing with JW-Jones in Chicago, Buddy Guy invited Jones to play guitar with him at two sold-out shows in Ottawa in 2015. Guy joined Jones' band several more times at his club.

In 2016, Jones toured England, Scotland, and Wales for the first time. He also performed in Argentina, making it the 23rd country he had played in.

Jones' ninth album, High Temperature, was released in 2016. It was produced by Colin Linden. This album was named a "Hot Shot Debut" and reached No. 8 on the Billboard Top 10. In 2017, High Temperature won "Best Self-Produced CD Award" at the International Blues Challenge.

Chad Smith, the drummer for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, played with Jones in Edmonton in 2017. Buddy Guy also joined Jones on stage again in 2017, telling him, "I love the way you play, man."

Jones released his tenth album, LIVE, in 2018. This was his first live album.

Recent Years (2020-Present)

In 2020, JW-Jones competed with HOROJO Trio at the International Blues Challenge. His band won first place in the band category. Jones also won the "Best Guitarist" award.

On August 14, 2020, Jones released his eleventh album, "Sonic Departures." This album reached number 4 on the Billboard Blues charts. It was nominated for Recording/Producer of the Year at the Maple Blues Awards.

Jones won "Best Jazz/Blues Artist" at the Ottawa Awards in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2025.

In 2022, Jimmie Vaughan recorded with Jones in Austin, Texas. This was produced by Gordie Johnson of Big Sugar.

On May 26, 2023, Jones released his twelfth album, "Everything Now." This album features all original songs and includes special guests like Jimmie Vaughan and Stanton Moore.

On June 28, 2023, Buddy Guy invited Jones to perform with him at the Ottawa Jazz Festival. In October 2024, Jones performed at Buddy Guy's Legends in Chicago, where Buddy Guy joined the band for several songs. This was the eighth time they had performed together.

Acting and Modelling

Jones has appeared in some television shows and commercials. He was on Bar Rescue and in commercials for Vinci tablet and Metropolitan Restaurant. He has also done modelling for Indochino Suits and the tech company, Unify.

Awards and Nominations

Discography

Solo Albums