Savannah Music Festival (SMF) is thrilled to partner with Victory North, a premier live music venue located at 2603 Whitaker St. in Savannah, Ga., to present a night of high-energy funk and blues featuring legendary funk pioneer George Porter, Jr. and Grammy Award-nominated blues artist Jontavious Willis on Thurs., Nov. 21 at 8 p.m. Doors will open at 7 p.m.; the performance will begin at 8 p.m.

“We’re thrilled to announce this can’t-miss live music event at Victory North, featuring two of the South’s most impressive, trailblazing artists,” said Savannah Music Festival Artistic Director Ryan McMaken. “George Porter, Jr. and Runnin’ Pardners are seasoned funk musicians with a classic New Orleans sound, while Jontavious Willis is a rising Georgia blues star who loves to get the audience out of their seats and dancing. 

Featured performers include:

GEORGE PORTER, JR. & RUNNIN’ PARDNERS

An award-winning bassist, songwriter and vocalist with a storied 40+ year career, George Porter, Jr. is known for his rhythmic work and signature bass lines in hit songs like “Cissy Strut.” As a founding member of the legendary New Orleans band The Meters, Porter, Jr. has been nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame four times and received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award for serving as a highly influential figure in the funk music scene and creating some of R&B history’s most memorable grooves. He currently tours with the Runnin’ Pardners, a quintessential New Orleans band composed of talented musicians, including keyboardist Michael Lemmler, guitarist Chris Adkins, drummer Terrence Houston and Porter, Jr., who is considered one of the industry’s elite bass players.

JONTAVIOUS WILLIS

A Savannah Music Festival favorite, Jontavious Willis has earned critical acclaim as a Grammy Award-nominated guitarist and songwriter who is on a mission to reinvigorate today’s blues with the spirit of traditional blues. Known for his dynamic vocals and impressive guitar licks, Willis’ music draws on his rural Georgia roots and blends traditional Delta, Piedmont and Texas blues with gospel to create a unique sound that makes listeners want to get up and dance. Praised as “a great new voice of the 21st century in the acoustic blues,” by blues legend Taj Mahal, Willis has performed live with Mahal and Keb’Mo’ and in solo shows and festivals around the world. His debut album, Blue Metamorphosis, won the Blues Foundation’s International Blues Challenge Award, and his second album, Spectacular Class, earned him a Grammy Award nomination. In August 2024, he released his latest album, West Georgia Blues, which debuted at #4 on the Billboard blues album chart.

General admission tickets are $31 per person and include standing room access to the first-floor viewing area. Partially seated tickets are available for $41 per person and include access to the first and second floors as well as an elevated viewing experience from the mezzanine.

Tickets are currently available at savannahmusicfestival.org.