The Holmes Brothers
The Holmes Brothers | |
---|---|
Americana | |
Years active | 1978 – 2015 |
Labels | Alligator, Rounder, Real World |
Past members | Sherman Holmes Wendell Holmes Popsy Dixon |
Website | The Holmes Brothers Official Site |
The Holmes Brothers were an American musical
Biography
Sherman and Wendell Holmes were born and raised in Christchurch, Virginia. Their schoolteacher parents fostered the boys' early interest in music as they listened to traditional Baptist hymns, anthems and spirituals as well as blues music by
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7e/Wendell_Holmes.jpg/160px-Wendell_Holmes.jpg)
Sherman, Wendell, and Popsy convened in the form of a new group known as the Holmes Brothers in 1979. The three shared vocals (some solo and some in gospel-inspired harmony), with Sherman playing bass, Wendell on guitar and piano, and Popsy on drums.[7] The band frequently played with additional musicians as well.[1] The trio moved from their hometown of Christchurch, Virginia to Harlem where they regularly performed at blues clubs, most notably Dan Lynch's, a center of the local New York City blues scene. Here the Holmes Brothers formed working relationships with future blues/folk stars such as Joan Osborne and members of Blues Traveler.[7]
The group signed with Rounder Records in 1989 and released their first album In the Spirit the following year. Four subsequent albums would be recorded for the label.[1] In 1992, the Holmes Brothers were signed to Peter Gabriel's Real World Records as the first American act on the prestigious world music label. In the mid 1990s the group performed with Van Morrison and recorded the soundtrack to the independent film Lotto Land, in which they also starred. In 1997, they were hired by Joan Osborne as her backing band for a tour supporting Bob Dylan.[7] In 1998 the trio accompanied Freddie Roulette on his album, Spirit of Steel.
In 2001, the Holmes Brothers signed with
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b9/Popsy_Dixon.jpg/200px-Popsy_Dixon.jpg)
In 2003 the group recorded two songs for the soundtrack album for the TV series
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f6/Sherman-Holmes.jpg/200px-Sherman-Holmes.jpg)
Following their next album for
On March 2, 2010, the brothers released the album Feed My Soul, which was inspired in part by Wendell's bout with cancer.[12] That album was followed by 2013's Brotherhood. The album was described in Living Blues magazine, which said, "Brotherhood is as soulful and alive as the Holmes Brothers performances and is a superior, award-worthy outing...sweet sounds from the beginning of American rock 'n' roll, African American southern gospel, and agonizingly beautiful, layered soul-baring harmonies, Jimmy Red blues lumps, string squeezing, moving bass lines, strong backbeats, NOLA second-line rhythms, street corner doo-wop and the twangy heartbreak of country. The rich interplay of all this music is what makes the Holmes Brothers a national treasure."[13] In 2014, The Holmes Brothers received an NEA National Heritage Fellowship, the highest honor bestowed upon traditional artists.[14]
Popsy Dixon died of bladder cancer on January 9, 2015. Wendell Holmes died on June 19, 2015, from complications due to pulmonary hypertension.[15] As of 2021, Sherman Holmes, the sole-surviving member of the band, resides in Saluda, Virginia.
Discography
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ea/Holmes_Brothers_Liri_Blues_Festival.jpg/220px-Holmes_Brothers_Liri_Blues_Festival.jpg)
- 1990 In the Spirit (Rounder)
- 1991 Where It's At (Rounder)
- 1992 Jubilation (Real World Records)
- 1993 Soul Street (Rounder)
- 1996 Lotto Land (Stony Plain Music)
- 1997 Promised Land (Rounder)
- 2001 Speaking in Tongues (Alligator)
- 2002 Righteous: The Essential Collection (Rounder)
- 2004 Simple Truths (Alligator)
- 2007 State of Grace (Alligator)
- 2010 Feed My Soul (Alligator)
- 2014 Brotherhood (Alligator)
References
- ^ AllMusic
- ^ a b Billboard Magazine: Discography
- ^ "The Blues Foundation". Blues.org. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
- ^ Mansfield, Brian. USA Today, Listen Up, January 16, 2007
- ^ Donahue, John. The New Yorker, January 15, 2007
- ^ Socey, Matthew, NPR.org, Blues You Can Use in the Pews, January 18, 2007
- ^ a b c d [1] Archived February 20, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Kot, Greg. The Chicago Tribune, Review of Speaking In Tongues, March 9, 2001
- ^ Bessman, Jim. The Chicago Sun-Times, Review of Speaking In Tongues, March 30, 2001
- ^ "The Holmes Brothers". Theholmesbrothers.com. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
- ^ Fricke, David. Rolling Stone, Album review of State of Grace[dead link], February 27, 2007
- ^ Holek, Tim. "Interview with the Holmes Bros: Band of Brothers Defeats Adversity With Their Uplifting Music & Message". Chicago Blues Guide. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
- ^ O'Brien, Justin. "CD Review: Brotherhood". Living Blues. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
- ^ "NEA National Heritage Fellowships 2014". www.arts.gov. National Endowment for the Arts. Archived from the original on May 21, 2020. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
- ^ "'Popsy' Dixon, drummer and vocalist for The Holmes Brothers, dies at age 72". Brandonsun.com. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
External links
- Official website
- Official Promotion Package
- The Holmes Brothers at AllMusic
- The Holmes Brothers discography at Discogs