Richmond Counterculture / Shockoe Sessions
Richmond Counterculture/Shockoe Sessions Episode 7
Sherman Holmes & Friends | Photo by Dave Parrish
The year 2015 marked the end of an amazing journey for the Holmes Brothers, a group with humble beginnings on Virginia’s Middle Peninsula who performed a joyous and moving blend of blues, gospel, soul, rhythm and blues, rock ‘n’ roll, and country for more than 50 years. Wendell and Sherman Holmes were raised by school teacher parents who fostered the boys’ early interest in music by playing recordings of 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 before heading to New York City, where Wendell joined him. In 1979, the duo formed the Holmes Brothers band with Sherman on bass, Wendell on guitar, and Popsy Dixon on drums. With their soulful singing, uplifting harmonies, and unsurpassed musicianship, the Holmes Brothers blended Saturday night roadhouse rock with the gospel fervor and harmonies of a Sunday morning church service. During their remarkable career, the band played and recorded with the brightest stars of the blues and rock ‘n’ roll scene including Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Peter Gabriel, and Van Morrison, and in 2014 received the National Heritage Fellowship, the highest honor the United States bestows on traditional artists. Sadly, 2015 saw the passing of both Wendell and Popsy, ending the Holmes Brothers’ remarkable run. Despite these devastating losses, Sherman has remained dedicated to carrying on his musical career, collaborating with a range of blues, bluegrass, and gospel artists, and forming the Sherman Holmes Project. In 2017, Sherman released The Richmond Sessions, his first solo recording in his more than 50-year career. The album carries on the spirit of the revered Holmes Brothers by reimagining songs and making them their own. In 2019 Sherman joined the Legendary Ingramettes on an enthusiastically received U.S. State Department tour of Serbia and Bulgaria.
The Pumphouse Blues Band | Photo by Dave Parrish
Pump House is a regional touring band based in Richmond, Virginia, that, since 2012, has performed in clubs and musical festivals from Virginia to California, offering soulful originals and its own creative spin on Traditional and Chicago Jump/Swing Blues, R&B mixed with Rock and Roll and beyond. A diverse and thoroughly entertaining group of 6 experienced musicians devoted to their music, their friendship, and their fans, Pump House is fronted by Lutha Lucas, whose musical style has been described as a fusion of Lou Rawls & James Brown.
The band takes its name from an historic landmark of Richmond, known as the Old Pump House at Byrd Park. The city’s second pumping station, built over a century ago, the facility made of stone walls pumped water from the nearby canal up to a reservoir in the park. Just as its old reliable pumps ensured a smooth reliable flow of cooling waters, so too the band can be counted on to deliver its smooth-flowing brand of cool musical sustenance.
Mojo Parker Express | Photo by Magali DeVulpillieres
Mojo Parker welcomes you to join him on his musical odyssey. His voice is recognized over the Blue Ridge Mountains, down to the Gulf Coast, and into the heart and soul of Memphis, TN. As a two time Semi-Finalist and recent 2020 Finalist of the International Blues Challenge, Mojo is getting recognition and well received attention for his raw, intimate and passionate performance style.
Blending a soulful sound with a new and refreshed look at old time classics, you’ll be transported back to a time where songs were real life stories that told the tales of the traveling troubadours of the Blues. Mojo’s talents don’t just rest in solo acoustic blues and folk music. He has recently created The Mojo Parker Express which is a eclectic sound incorporating a groove concoction of funk, rock n roll, soul and Latin flavors.
Show archive
Playlist
-
Sherman Holmes & Friends, “Just a Closer Walk With Thee (feat Cora Armstrong)”
Shockoe Records - 2024
-
Sherman Holmes & Friends, “I Just Keep Lovin' Her (feat Andrew Ali)”
Shockoe Records - 2024
-
Sherman Holmes & Friends, “New Home (feat Almeta Ingram-Miller)”
Shockoe Records - 2024
-
PumpHouse Blues Band, “A Little More of Your Love”
Shockoe Records - 2023