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 44) 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 musician. He is a talented guitarist, singer, songwriter, and band leader. He has been nominated for a Juno Award and has had albums rank in the Top 10 on Billboard magazine's charts.

JW-Jones won the "Best Self-Produced CD Award" at the International Blues Challenge in 2017 for his album 'High Temperature'. He also won "Best Guitarist" at the same event in 2020. He signed his first record deal in 2000 and has released many albums since then. He has performed in over 20 countries around the world.

Musical Journey

Starting Out (1990s)

JW-Jones began his musical journey as a drummer. He even got to play with famous blues artists like Big Jack Johnson. Later, he became known as a guitarist and singer.

When he was 18, JW-Jones won a "Battle of the Bands" competition in 1998. This win helped him record his first demo songs. The next year, he won the Ottawa Blues Guitar Riff-Off. This led to recording his first album, Defibrillatin, in 2000.

Growing as an Artist (2000-2009)

In the 2000s, JW-Jones was invited to play with many well-known blues bands. These included The Fabulous Thunderbirds and Hubert Sumlin. His second album, Bogart's Bounce, featured Kim Wilson and Gene Taylor.

JW Jones playing guitar.

His third album, My Kind of Evil (2004), was produced by Kim Wilson. It also featured Canadian singers Colin James and Roxanne Potvin. Songs from this album were played on the House of Blues Radio Hour. Critics praised Jones's guitar playing on the album.

In 2006, he released Kissing in 29 Days. This album included David "Fathead" Newman, who played saxophone for Ray Charles. His fifth album, Bluelisted, came out in 2008. It featured special guests like Little Charlie Baty and Junior Watson. The famous actor Dan Aykroyd even wrote the notes for the album!

In 2009, JW-Jones recorded with Hubert Sumlin at Sun Studios in Memphis. Sumlin was a legendary blues guitarist who played with Howlin' Wolf.

Success and Awards (2010-2019)

His album Midnight Memphis Sun was released in 2010. In 2011, Jones partnered with Gibson Guitars. His seventh album, Seventh Hour (2012), reached #1 on B.B. King's Bluesville radio station. This led to him performing at Buddy Guy's Legends club in Chicago. He also opened for B.B. King at a big festival in Ottawa.

In 2014, JW-Jones co-hosted the Maple Blues Awards. He also opened shows for Johnny Winter and Jimmie Vaughan. He received a "Forty Under 40 Award" for his business success and community involvement.

His album "Belmont Boulevard" came out in 2014. It was recorded in Nashville with Grammy-winning producer Tom Hambridge. It quickly reached #9 on Billboard's Blues Charts. The album was nominated for a Juno Award for Blues Album of the Year. JW-Jones was also nominated for Guitarist of the Year.

Buddy Guy, a blues legend, invited JW-Jones to play guitar with him several times. This happened at Guy's club in Chicago and at shows in Ottawa in 2015. Other bands like Canned Heat also invited Jones to play with them at festivals.

In 2016, JW-Jones toured the UK for the first time. He also performed in Argentina, which was his 23rd country to play in. His ninth album, High Temperature, was released in 2016. It was produced by Colin Linden. This album reached #8 on the Billboard Top 10 Blues chart. 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, made a surprise appearance with Jones in 2017. JW-Jones released his first live album, LIVE, in 2018.

Recent Achievements (2020-present)

In 2020, JW-Jones and his band HOROJO Trio won first place in the band category at the International Blues Challenge. Jones also won the "Best Guitarist" award at this event.

His 11th album, "Sonic Departures," was released in 2020. It was partly recorded during the COVID-19 lockdown. This album reached #4 on the Billboard Blues charts. JW-Jones has won "Best Jazz/Blues Artist" at the Ottawa Awards three years in a row (2021, 2022, 2023).

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

Other Work

JW-Jones has also appeared on television shows like Bar Rescue. He has also been in commercials and done some modeling for clothing companies.

Awards and Nominations

JW-Jones has received many awards and nominations throughout his career:

Music Albums (Discography)

Here is a list of albums released by JW-Jones: