Holmes Brothers

Gospel music seems to be undergoing a healthy revival these days. Not only have the Blind Boys of Alabama released a superb record, but with Speaking in Tongues, the venerable Holmes Brothers have issued the album of their career - no mean feat for a group that's existed for 33 years with the same three members.

"This band has existed since 1968," recalled singer and guitarist Wendell Holmes. "It's like a very long marriage. Music, like anything, becomes more mature and ingrained the more you do it. We've always done gospel and blues, and that's from coming from Virginia. When we were kids we'd play in the church, and play in our cousin's juke joint on Saturday nights, big fishes in a little pond. Then we came to New York and continued playing music. You have to have that fire in your belly and we still have that."

"We never forget that Jesus turned water into wine, not the other way round!"

Not many bands would dare cross back and forth between sacred and secular music, but the Holmes Brothers (Sherman Holmes on bass and vocals, and Willie ‘Popsy' Dixon on drums, percussion and vocals) have never made a great distinction between the two, because, as Wendell noteed, "The Bible says the Word must go even into the dens of iniquity, so we plays clubs and festivals. We play blues, gospel, country, a mix of a lot of different things. We don't have a problem with that, and we don't believe Jesus does. We never forget that Jesus turned water into wine, not the other way round!"

It's an attitude that's kept them working the blues clubs and the rhythm-and-blues circuit, since it hasn't endeared them to gospel purists. But, Wendell said, "that's their loss. We do what we do, and we're believers, and there's nothing wrong with singing a love song then Amazing Grace."

It was Sherman who first moved to the Big Apple in 1959, followed by Wendell a few years later. In 1968 they met Dixon, and the Holmes Brothers were born. They backed many acts, and went on to host a regular jam session at Dan Lynch's in the East Village, where, during the ‘80s, they met singer Joan Osborne, who would go on to produce Speaking in Tongues, in addition to adding some gritty background vocals.

"This was many years before her hits, and we became good friends," said Wendell.

"Working with her was real easy," continued Sherman. "She's professional, and we respect each other. And Trina Shoemaker, the engineer, was very good. She did the record Sheryl Crow got the Grammy for."

In fact, it was Osborne who suggested some of the album's more intriguing covers, including three Ben Harper songs, the Gamble and Huff disco classic, "Love Train," and Sister Rosetta Tharpe's "Can't No Grave Hold My Body Down," all of which were given the Holmes Brothers' treatment and electrified.

Their own material, too, freely mixes the sacred and profane - the record's title tracks employs a riff very similar to Rick James's "Superfreak" under a vocal line that owes a lot to Al Green's "Take Me To The River," making for something gleefully familiar, but in an entirely new context.

The disc was Osborne's first time behind a board, and she worked on the less is more theory, letting the band do what they do best - simply play - and capturing good performances. Perhaps the biggest surprise is to realize that it's only the band's seventh album. But being record stars never seemed important to them.

"We made one a long time ago that we never talk about," explained Wendell. "We weren't really looking for a record deal. We were well-known in the Village and the Tri-State area. But we started making records in ‘89."

They had deals with Rounder and Real World. But this marks the start of a new relationship with blues label Alligator. It's a natural fit, said Wendell, because "Alligator's and [founder] Bruce Iglauer are dedicated to this roots music, and he makes a good commotion about it. If you have a good record and no one knows about it, it's like not having one."

"I just hope it can get us into a position where we can sell more albums, since we've been disappointed in the past," continued Sherman.

On the road the band is largely a self-contained trio, although "sometimes there are three girl singers - sometimes Joan sings with us, if she's nothing better to do; she becomes Jo Beth Holmes then!" laughed Sherman. "She likes to stand in the background, but I don't want people thinking we're trying to climb on her reputation, that's not our intention at all."

33 years together is a long time, especially when much of it has been spent on the road, living in each other's pockets. How have they managed to survive?

"The key is not only do we love each other, but we like each other," said Wendell.

"And we all have our own lives," added Sherman.

"And when we're on the road we always have separate rooms," concluded Wendell.

Holmes Brothers

"We never forget that Jesus turned water into wine, not the other way round!"

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