The Holmes Brothers

The Holmes Brothers came out of Christchurch, Virginia, and for more than three decades Sherman Holmes, Wendell Holmes and Willie "Popsy" Dixon made music that refused to stay in one pew. Blues was the foundation, but they mixed in soul, gospel, country and rhythm and blues, and they could sound like a Saturday night roadhouse one minute and a Sunday morning choir the next.

They cut twelve studio albums, three of which made the top five of the Billboard Blues Albums chart, and built their following the old-fashioned way, playing summer folk, blues, gospel and jazz festivals year after year and touring the world, even playing for President Bill Clinton. They also recorded with everyone from Van Morrison, Peter Gabriel and Levon Helm to Odetta, Rosanne Cash, Willie Nelson, Phoebe Snow, Joan Osborne and Freddie Roulette.

Simple Truths, in 2004 on Alligator Records, carries "We Meet We Part We Remember", a slow, soulful benediction with a weathered, churchy glow. The Blues Foundation named them Band of the Year at the Blues Music Awards in 2005 and handed them the 2008 prize for Soul Blues Album of the Year. The trio's run ended in 2015.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.