THE HOLMES BROTHERS
The Holmes Brothers — bassist Sherman Holmes, guitarist Wendell Holmes and drummer Popsy Dixon — will perform at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 28 at the Chocolate Church Arts Center, 804 Washington St.
The trio, all of whom sing, will play songs from their latest CD, “Feed My Soul.”
A Rounder Records release describes the trio as follows:
From winning multiple Blues Music Awards to sharing stages and recordings with Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Bruce Springsteen, Patti Smith, Willie Nelson, Lou Reed, Peter Gabriel and others, The Holmes Brothers have seemingly done it all.
Recently though, The Holmes Brothers confronted a stark reality when brother Wendell was diagnosed with cancer in 2008. Tightknit 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,” produced by longtime friend of the band and platinum-selling artist Joan Osborne, is an album born from this harrowing experience. The songs deal with friendship, loyalty, family, aging, illness, as well as politics and the current state of the world, while still maintaining the patented Holmes Brothers sense of humor.
Helping to shape Feed My Soul are the strength and deep roots of the Holmes family. Sherman and Wendell Holmes were raised in Christchurch, Va. 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.
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. Dixon sat in with the brothers and sang two songs.
“After that second song,” Wendell said, “Popsy was a brother.”
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, becoming the first American group to record for the standout world music imprint.
After signing with Alligator in 2001, The Holmes Brothers released the magnificent “Speaking In Tongues,” produced by Osborne, who also sang backup vocals throughout.
Triumphing over adversity led directly to the creation of “Feed My Soul, as the band turned what may have been a career-ending event into the best album in their long history.
Tickets cost $25 in advance of $28 at the door. Call 442- 8455 or visit www.chocolatechurcharts.org.
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