Savannah Music Festival (SMF) is thrilled to partner with Victory North, a premier live music venue located at 2603 Whitaker Street 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.

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.

Doors Open at 7 p.m. | Concert Starts at 8 p.m.