Faith, Family, and Front-Porch Pickin’ Traditions

Some places live in your bones. For country music singer-songwriter Will Jones, that place is southwest Virginia, in the foothills, where he grew up with a close-knit family, mountain grit, and a soundtrack of front-porch pickin’. Born a triplet to a musical family, Jones grew up performing with his father, two sisters, and a banjoist in a band called The Cana Ramblers, named for Cana, their small Virginia hometown.

Guitar in hand as a toddler, he learned “three chords and the truth,” as he says, from a very early age. By age six, he was already singing lead vocals, playing guitar, and serving as the group’s emcee. “Knowing how to talk to a crowd and hold a stage, that’s what I’m still doing now,” he says. 

A turning point came in 2009, when Jones performed for his peers at Carroll County High School in Hillsville, Virginia. The next year, the family band gained national attention for its album “No Expectations.” But as his sisters went off to college, it became harder to keep the band intact. In 2019, he moved to Nashville to launch his solo music career. 

Today, he describes his music as a place “where Appalachian soul meets outlaw grit” and points to bluegrass pioneers from Tony Rice and Jimmy Martin to Bill Monroe and Flatt & Scruggs as early influences. In performance, he channels country music legends Merle Haggard, George Jones, and Travis Tritt.

In 2025, he released the love song, “Ride With Me” and the heartfelt “Rich Man,” which references life’s simplicities—a healthy baby, a two-tone truck, and favorite pair of jeans—as key elements of a rich life, not to be taken for granted.  

His picker influences are clear in “Devil’s Den,” a driving, up-tempo tune. Other releases include “Lonesome Dove,” which MusicRow critic Robert Oermann lauded as “eloquent and extraordinary,” and “My Country’s Showing,” which shares Jones’s more contemporary country side. “The heart of my sound remains rooted in my bluegrass beginnings,” he has said. “To me, it’s all country damn music.”

Aside from the country critic circuit, his toddler, Evie, keeps him on his toes. “Every time I try to sing her a song, she makes me stop what I’m singing and sing Ol’ McDonald,” he says. “She’s a tough critic.” 

In 2025, he had the opportunity to perform at Nashville’s legendary Ryman Auditorium, which in country music is known as the Mother Church. He has also joined duo Dailey and Vincent on stage at the Grand Ole Opry; more recently he has shared billing with country singer-songwriters Jon Pardi, Ashley McBryde, Josh Turner, along with bluegrass royalty Chris Thile and Ben Haggard.  Now that he’s a father, Jones cherishes those early days, performing with his family band. “My childhood, the music my family made together, and our memories of traveling and recording together meant so much because we were so close,” he says. “I believe my musical family in Nashville shares a similar understanding. The friendships on the road, in the studio, in the writing room—that’s what makes what we do so fun.”

To negotiate the demands of his dual life, on stage and at home, he focuses on giving his family his full attention when he’s with them. “My wife is holding it all down while I’m gone, so I enjoy taking some weight off her plate,” he says, “and it feels good to disconnect from music and enjoy family.”

As his career continues to grow, it’s that focus on family and his heritage that keeps him grounded. “Staying true to who you are is remembering where you come from,” he says. “That’s never been hard for me to do. I always lean on my faith in Jesus and try to be good to people. Those two things will keep you humble.”

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About the Author

Virginia Brown is a freelance journalist, writer, and editor with nearly 15 years of editorial experience. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post, Atlas Obscura, Southern Living, AAA Traveler, Apartment Therapy, and more. She holds a master’s in journalism from Northwestern’s Medill School and a B.A. from UNC–Chapel Hill, is a professional member of ASJA, and lives in Little Rock, Ark.