Canadian guitar slinger/singer JW-Jones’ Belmont Boulevard on Blind Pig Records was produced in Nashville by Grammy-winning producer Tom Hambridge, who’s helmed projects for Buddy Guy, George Thorogood, and Susan Tedeschi. JW chose Hambridge to produce because “This CD is all about getting out of my comfort zone musically and lyrically, working with a big producer and creating a high-energy experience that matches our live show, and I knew Tom was the man to make that happen.”
For the songs on the album, Jones decided to delve deep into his personal life and tell some of his stories that he’d never revealed before. He co-wrote many of the songs with Hambridge, a noted songwriter whose tunes have been recorded by Lynyrd Skynyrd, Rascal Flatts, and Delbert McClinton, and featured in movies, commercials, and television. “Digging deep into some very serious personal stories from my past and turning them into songs has been liberating and part of the healing process. I hope these songs resonate with listeners that have been through similar experiences,” said Jones.
Based in Ottawa, Jones has received twelve Maple Blues Award nominations, the country’s highest blues honor, as well as numerous other accolades and considered one of this country’s top blues guitar stars.” Billboard called JW part of “a new wave of young talent moving onto Canada’s blues stage.” In the last decade, he’s released seven albums, performed in nineteen countries and four continents, and is widely regarded as one of Canada’s premier touring blues acts. Blues Revue 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.”
Known for his high-energy, crowd-pleasing shows, Jones has opened tours for the late Johnny Winter and one of his strongest influences, Jimmie Vaughan (about whom JW penned a song on the new album).
