The Holmes Brothers

The musical group The Holmes Brothers--only two of whom are actually brothers--was formed in 1980 in New York City as a bar band. The difference between them and most of the other bar bands in the city at the time was that their repertoire wasn't limited to just one particular genre of music--they played everything from blues and soul to gospel and R&B. Originally starting out as a trio--Wendell Holmes on bass, Sherman Holmes on guitar land Popsy Dixon on drums--they picked up steel guitarist Gib Wharton in 1989, who added a country/western flavor to the band. They signed with Rounder Records in 1989 and released "Spirit" that year, to rave reviews. This resulted in the band's securing gigs outside of their New York City comfort zone, and they toured Europe five times in just two years. They are, as of this writing, still touring and performing in the New York area.