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Profile
The Holmes Brothers
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1999 KBA Award Winner
Achievement for Blues on the Internet
Presented by the Blues Foundation
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When the Holmes Brothers come to town get ready to pitch the tent because you are in store for one heck of a revival meeting -- only there is no preaching, its all music! Let me qualify that, its "great" music. Its hard to pin down their style because they draw from such a wide musical base. At a typical Holmes Brothers show you will find a mixture of soul, blues, gospel, R&B and country. But no matter what the song or style, what you can count on is a three-part vocal harmony that is truly unique. From Wendell's growling lead vocals to Sherman's down in the basement baritone to Popsy's soaring falsetto we are taken on an inspired musical adventure that has few rivals today. Besides their one-of-a-kind vocals these guys are also excellent musicians. Wendell Holmes' guitar playing is electrifying and Popsy Dixon's drums and Sherman Holmes' bass are rock solid. They started playing together in the 1960's in New York and only in the past decade have they gained a well deserved world-wide recognition and acclaim. Originally from Christchurch, Virginia, Sherman and Wendell were born in the Tidewater region of Virginia, their surroundings rural but rich in culture. They took music lessons, sang gospel in church and headed up a combo. They were weaned on down home blues at a cousin's nearby country juke joint, so naturally they played blues but, less characteristically, played C&W as well. "White (radio) stations had more kilowatts than the black stations," laughs Wendell Holmes. "We'd be listenin' to the blues, and all of a sudden, boom, you'd get Hank Williams. That was good for us. We loved doin' country & western." Dixon, also Virginia-born, has an even more extensive gospel background than the brothers. Sherman was the first of the brothers to move up north in 1959 where he had a gig with Jimmy Jones of "Handy Man" fame. Wendell explains. "Sherman was workin' with him, and when I got out of high school, he picked me up on my graduation night and took me straight to New York. So I got a gig playin' with Jimmy, and I thought I was a big star. But he wasn't payin' much money, so that didn't last long." They kicked around New York for the next decade playing music before finally hooking up with Popsy. Around 1969 Popsy and Wendell had been playing together when the group they were in broke up and they discovered that Sherman had a berth for them at an East Village bar that had started staging blues. This started a two decade long gig where the Holmes Brothers, now performing as a trio honed their skills and prepared for their big break that finally came in 1989 with the release of In the Spirit on Rounder Records. There's just no denying that the Holmes Brothers are one of the best things to have happened to blues-related roots music in many years. With deep soul singing that resonates with passion and commitment, the blend of these three voices can take your breath away.
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