The Holmes Brothers

The Holmes Brothers

BROTHER TO BROTHER
For the Holmes Brothers, It's a Musical Family Affair
Guitarist/vocalist Wendell Holmes, bassist/singer Sherman Holmes, and drummer/vocalist Popsy Dixon are Virgina-born musicians who spent two decades banging around the New York City bar band and Top 40 scenes. But in 1980 they came together as the Holmes Brothers, brewing up an intoxicating mix of blues, soul, and gospel. It has taken them from small-club and church crowds to worldwide tours. For Peter Gabriel's Real World they recorded the gospel set Jubilation then turned around and starred in and recorded the soundtrack for the charming indie film Lotto Land. Now the Holmes Brothers have moved to the Alligator Records label, and for their debut -- Speaking in Tongues -- an old friend, pop singer Joan Osborne, came in as producer. But connections in high places have done nothing to change the down-home humor of Holmes Brother Sherman, who spoke with Roberta Penn of Barnes & Noble.com from his New York City home.

Barnes & Noble.com: Speaking in Tongues is very much a spiritual album. Is that what you had planned when you signed on with Alligator?

Sherman Holmes: Sort of, not really gospel but spiritual, as you say. Actually Joan [Osborne] wanted to produce a gospel album, and she wanted to produce us. I wasnt too much for a gospel album, but I guess it worked out pretty good. I wanted to do more of a blues-type album because I felt we were competing against too many gospel groups.

B&N.com: How did Joan Osborne get involved in producing the CD?

SH: We been knowing Joan a long time. When I used to run a jam session in the '80s at Dan Lynch, on 2nd Avenue here in New York -- I came to New York in 1959 and have been living here ever since -- she came around and sang with us. We encouraged her to sing because she came to New York to work in film.

B&N.com: What was it like having her as a producer?

SH: It was all right because we could talk to her and knew her well, it was just like family. We been together for a long time, friends.

B&N.com: I know your Real World set, Jubilation, was all gospel, but other than that have you done all-spiritual albums before?

SH: We usually include one or two gospel songs on each album. And we do two types of shows, a blues show and a gospel show. We jump from one to the other depending on the gig. Even though we grew up as kids doing gospel we didnt really play it. My brother and I both had been church pianists, so we just included it in our program in the '80s.

B&N.com: How do you put together an album -- do the three of you work democratically?

SH: My brother Wendell and I write independently of each other and our producers help choose songs for us; its democratic.

B&N.com: B&N.com: You pronounce his name Wen-Dell, with the emphasis on the second syllable?

SH: [with a sly laugh] That's because were from Virginia. I named him Wendell when he was born. I'm four years older -- Popsy is in between us -- and Wendell Willkie was running for president, and my mama decided to name him that. I didn't even know about Oliver Wendell Holmes.

B&N.com: Your funky version of that Rosetta Tharpe tune, "Can't Nobody Hold My Body Down," is great. Where did that come from?

SH: That was Joan's idea. My brother and I did the arrangement. And Joan chose the Ben Harper songs.

B&N.com: I love your version of Ben's "I Want to Be Ready."

SH: We sort of took his arrangement and put instruments behind it. I sort of phrase it like he does. When we perform we play our own instruments, so it's only the three of us on the record. We did have an organ player come in, and one of our producers, Andy Breslau, plays harmonica on "Homeless Child" and one of the girls (backup singer Catherine Russell) played mandolin on a tune.

B&N.com: You wrote "Speaking in Tongues" -- what inspired that?

SH: I went to a church with my wife one day, and the lady started talking about people talking in tongues. At first I wrote it as a love song and then changed it to a gospel song.

B&N.com: Do you listen to much music when you arent on the road?

SH: Oh yeah, I listen to classical music, jazz, country. I love Irish music. Lately Ive been listening to Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings. I love tones more than I like music itself, and it just takes me into a world by myself. I can just get lost in the music.

B&N.com: Are you criticized for mixing secular and church music?

SH: It was from blues that gospel came. Thomas Dorsey played the blues and played in church. Since then gospel has tried to separate itself. And I think we get some flack for it too. Some churches dont care much for us. I have an aunt who doesn't like to see guitars and stuff in church. She's never been to one of our shows. Her husband was a minister.

B&N.com: How about your other family; did they support you in music?

SH: Oh yes, our dad -- he died in July -- was our biggest supporter. He got to hear the roughs of Speaking in Tongues before he died, and he loved it. He loved everything we did. We couldn't stop him from talking about us. We dedicated this album to him.