From the age of 3 Junior was standing on top of tables with his toy guitar or “microphone” using a hairbrush, entertaining family and friends at their frequent gatherings. His grandfather Marcos being a solo guitarist along with a musical family it wasn’t a coincidence that Junior would have a future in music. By the age of 15 he would shadow his grandfather, learn as much as he could and sit in at his jam sessions. It felt natural to him. At 18 he would begin classical guitar training. His teacher Matthew Grasso a Bay Area classical guitarist from the San Francisco conservatory of music was impressed by his overall control of the guitar. His classical training wouldn’t last long because on a road trip in the summer of 1995 he discovered Jimi Hendrix when his brother popped in a greatest hits album.  Juniors musical life would never be the same. He was so intrigued with Jimi’s style and passion. He wanted to be like him. He read all of his books and biographies and tried to learn every lick off of every recording. One day when reading a Guitar Player magazine he stumbled across an article entitled “Jimi’s favorite LP’s.” It included records from B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Paul Butterfield Blues Band and John Lee Hooker which opened his eyes to a whole new world. He embarked on a journey exploring more blues legends like Albert Collins, Freddie King, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Albert King, and Joe Louis Walker to name a few. Junior fell in love with the blues. 

In the summer of 1997 Junior went to a Bay Area blues festival which headlined San Francisco’s own Joe Louis Walker. He somehow snuck backstage to meet his idol. After nervously introducing himself and conversing ,Walker took a liking to him and asked Junior to sit in on a song. Junior jumped at the opportunity playing every lick he knew in 12 bars. From that point on they became great friends and Walker took him under his wing as a mentor of the blues. He followed Walker when he was in town and sat in at his shows, learning the ropes of music and show business. Around the same time in a music class at the local junior college he met drummer Nick Woodson and started their  first band “The Electric Church”. They would typically play dive bars in the beginning then eventually graduate to Bay Area blues clubs and festivals. In 2003 they released their first Jr. De Ville record “just a blues cat” and was showcased on The House of Blues radio show hosted by Elwood Blues (Dan Ackroyd) which played on radio stations around the world. Since then, Him and Woodson have been back at it performing in venues and festivals in the Bay Area and beyond. 

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"Jr. De Ville is not a downsized version of a Cadillac but a guitar phenom who could very well be the next Stevie Ray Vaughan" - Al-Carlos Hernandez (Latino La)

"with his magical stage presence, soulful vocals and searing guitar solos Jr. De Ville with be a force to be reckoned with in the years to come' -Dan Ackroyd (House of blues radio show)

​​Jr. De Ville BIO (long version) 

Jr. De Ville (short Bio) 

Sharing the stages with the likes of Chris Cain, Joe Louise Walker, Daniel Castro and many more, Junior is a seasoned vet of the  blues, gracing festival stages and hitting radio shows like the House of Blues hour. Currently in the studio with another album, there is no stopping this freight train in Jr. De Ville. Playing in formats from solo act to his full band, the demand for this true bluesman, mirroring guitarists like Jimi Hendrix and Freddie King, is extremely fierce.

High resolution photo gallery {by Lynsie Smith Photography}