Sherman Holmes is Still ‘One Step Ahead of the Blues’

When Sherman Holmes was born in Plainfield 87 years ago, before being raised in Virginia, there was no way anyone could guess that the blues would be on his ass throughout his long life. When he put The Holmes Brothers together in 1959, no one would’ve guessed they’d be signed by Rounder Records in Massachusetts thirty years later in 1989, and record five albums for Alligator Records in Chicago. In 2014, they received a National Endowment for the Arts Heritage Fellowship (the nation’s highest honor for traditional artists). Then in 2015 came the deaths of two band members: Popsy Dixon and Wendell Holmes, so Sherman formed The Sherman Holmes Project in 2017.

Now, Sherman considers himself One Step Ahead of the Blues and has released a solo statement, recorded in Nashville, to that effect. “Our goal was to make an album that would appeal to Holmes Brothers fans by mixing up a stew of blues and R&B,” says producer Andreas Warner. “I knew that my studio band, the Funky Chester Rhythm Section, would be the perfect band to bring the project to life.” They even got the legendary Muscle Shoals horn section to add some oomph and famed vocalists The Blind Boys of Alabama to bring a little gospel action to the proceedings. The star power comes in a four-pack of estrogen:  Catherine Russell, Joan Osborne, Ada Dyer and Amy Helm all lend their vocalese.

Producer Werner sums it up.  “Sherman Holmes is the real deal, a true blues philosopher. It has been my honor and privilege to collaborate with him on this album and to call him my friend.”