Jimmy "Duck" Holmes - 'Cypress Grove'

 

78-year-old Jimmy "Duck" Holmes is pretty much the last surviving link to the Bentonia style of blues, which was initially brought to public attention by Skip James.  Bentonia is a town located in Yazoo County, Mississippi.

As a child, Jimmy lived next door to Henry Stuckey (1897-1966), the man credited with pioneering the Bentonia style.  Sadly, Henry Stuckey was never recorded, but he passed on his style to Skip James (1902-1969) and Jack Owens (1904-1997), who further refined the style.  Jack Owens became Jimmy’s mentor, directly influencing his musical journey.

In the 1970s and 80s, ethnomusicologists Alan Lomax and David Evans recorded Jimmy, but it wasn't until 2003 that he released his first album.

Jimmy also owns and operates the oldest juke joint in Mississippi, The Blue Front Cafe (pictured above), which his parents opened in 1948. 

On March 31, 2017, the U.S. Postal Service celebrated the 200th anniversary of Mississippi statehood with the above first class stamp, featuring a photograph of the hands and guitar of Jimmy “Duck” Holmes.

‘Cypress Grove,’ released in October 2019 on the Easy Eye Sound label, received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Traditional Blues Album at the 63rd annual Grammy Awards.

Produced by Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys, the album aimed to introduce Jimmy to a wider audience.  Auerbach, also the founder of the Easy Eye Sound record label, sought to capture the essence of a typical Saturday night at Jimmy’s Blue Front Cafe.

Auerbach invited Jimmy to his Easy Eye Sound Studio in Nashville for a few days to record 'Cypress Grove.'  The album captures the vibrant atmosphere of the Blue Front Cafe, with Jimmy accompanied by a group of smokin' musicians to join himself and Dan Auerbach on guitars.

The band featured Sam Bacco on drums, the principal percussionist in the Nashville Symphony, with a diverse background in rock, country, pop, and bluegrass sessions.  Eric Deaton, the master of modern Delta and Hill Country blues bass.  Marcus King, a rising roots and rock guitarist.

'Cypress Grove' features a blend of blues standards by legendary artists like Skip James, Muddy Waters, and Willie Dixon, as well as Jimmy’s original compositions.  Each note on the album exudes country blues tradition, with Jimmy’s gritty vocals evoking the suffering and joy of generations of Delta bluesmen and their people.  The album’s stark beauty brings the Delta to life, creating a captivating listening experience.

The freeload is a 24bit/48kHz vinyl rip, and a great introduction to Jimmy "Duck" Holmes.

For the freeload, tell us about musical artists or groups, that you feel don't or didn't get the acclaim they should have.