Primary Instrument: Band/ensemble/orchestra
Over the course of their 30-plus year career, The Holmes Brothers (bassist/vocalist Sherman Holmes, guitarist/pianist/vocalist Wendell Holmes, drummer/vocalist and brother-in-spirit Popsy Dixon) have been feeding the souls of their devoted and ever-growing fan base with a joyous and moving blend of blues, gospel, soul, R&B, rock ‘n’ roll and country. Their amazing three-part harmony singing, mixing Wendell’s gruff and gravelly vocals with Popsy’s soaring falsetto and Sherman’s rich baritone brings the soul and spirit of gospel music into everything they perform. Equally gripping is the rhythmic foundation laid down by Sherman’s bass playing and Popsy’s drumming, perfectly complementing Wendell’s blues-soaked guitar solos and church-inspired piano playing. The band easily blends Saturday night’s roadhouse rock with the gospel fervor and harmonies of Sunday morning’s church service.
Sherman and Wendell Holmes were 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 Jimmy Reed, Junior Parker and B.B. King. Sherman studied composition and music theory at Virginia State University, but in 1959, he dropped out and headed to New York for a promising job with a singer named Jimmy Jones (of Handy Man fame). His younger brother Wendell joined him in New York after completing high school. The two brothers played in a few bands before forming The Sevilles in 1963. The group lasted only three years, but they often backed up touring artists like The Impressions, John Lee Hooker and Jerry Butler, gaining a wealth of experience. Sherman and Wendell met drummer Popsy Dixon, a fellow Virginian, at a New York gig in 1967.” They continued to play in a variety of Top 40 bar bands”Wendell even toured with Inez and Charlie Foxx (Mockingbird)”until 1979, when the three officially joined forces and formed The Holmes Brothers band.
The band worked primarily at Dan Lynch’s, a New York club that featured weekly jam nights and performances by a wide variety of blues acts, and the club served as a meeting ground for many members of New York’s blues community, including Joan Osborne and producer Andy Breslau, who brought the group to Rounder Records.
Since their debut on Rounder in 1989, The Holmes Brothers have worked virtually non-stop. In addition to their four critically acclaimed Rounder albums, they recorded “Jubilation” for Peter Gabriel’s Real World label in 1992. In 1994 they joined Van Morrison in the studio on the song “That’s Where It’s At” for the Real World compilation album, A Week Or Two In The Real World.
1996 found The Holmes Brothers starring in the independent motion picture Lotto Land, for which they also recorded the soundtrack. In 1997, Joan Osborne asked them to be her backing band when she opened for Bob Dylan.
After signing with Alligator in 2001, The Holmes Brothers released “Speaking In Tongues,” produced by Osborne, who also sang backup vocals throughout. In 2003, they recorded versions of “Trouble” (Cat Stevens) and “You’re Gonna Need Somebody On Your Bond” (Blind Willie Johnson) for the soundtrack album for the popular television series Crossing Jordan. In addition to appearing on the M.C. Records tribute album to Sister Rosetta Tharpe, “Shout, Sister, Shout!”
2004’s “Simple Truths” found The Holmes Brothers receiving even more attention, as rave reviews poured in. They won the coveted Blues Music Award from the Memphis-based Blues Foundation for Band of the Year in 2005.
“State Of Grace” in 2007 continued the upward trend. The album won the Blues Music Award for Soul Blues Album of the Year. Rolling Stone called the album “impressive, fervent country soul.”
The Holmes Brothers confronted a stark reality when brother Wendell was diagnosed with cancer in 2008. Tight-knit on and off the stage, they found strength in their family, friendship and faith to overcome this setback. With Wendell’s victory over the disease, the group emerged fully energized and inspired to create the deepest, most original, most satisfying album of their career.
“Feed My Soul,” released in 2010, is about triumphing over adversity, overcoming obstacles and, ultimately, it is a declaration of the power and faith of a strong and devoted family. It is by far and wide the deepest cycle of songs and most thematically linked body of work The Holmes Brothers have ever created. Sherman describes it as “an album of legacy and an album of hope.”
