Today, I bring you a rare and wonderful treat: Jimmy “Duck” Holmes, who plays a rare form of the blues called the Bentonia Blues. Jimmy’s one of the last people alive who plays this kind of blues named for his home town of Bentonia, Mississippi, where he owns and operates one of the last traditional juke joints in the state, the Blue Front Cafe. You can get Duck’s recordings from St. Louis’ own blues label, Broke and Hungry Records.
Related
About Lo-Fi Saint Louis
LO-FI SAINT LOUIS is an Internet video program and blog, produced and created by Bill Streeter featuring live music and features about interesting people places and things in the St. Louis area. The story of how this got started and who is behind it is probably not all that interesting but if you're really curious you can read more about it here. You can get LO-FI SAINT LOUIS in you favorite video player including iTunes (click to subscribe) and Miro. Our RSS feeds are here.
Find us on these other fine services:
Get updates via twitter, email or rss:
Subscribe via iTunes or Miro:
Bentonia Mississippi, famous for its blues music, and for its blue bentonite clay, well-known world-wide and used by sculptors and brickmakers alike. Bentonia blue clay–get yourself down along Ol’ Miss Crik, right along side the clay bank there, scrape out a tub full and you’ll see what I mean. Just be sure you get back to town and cleaned up in time for supper over at the Blue Front Cafe.
John (cleans up even better than Bill) Leeke
that clay is also great for eating . . . at least according to jimmy ‘duck’ holmes. he says that his mother and a lot of older black residents around bentonia would bake the clay in the oven and then eat it. bluesman pat thomas says his mother used to do the same thing . . . strange but true.
cheers,
jeff konkel
broke & hungry records
Magnificent video!
So what are the differences in the type of Blues played….how many styles are out there?
And you were right, using multiple angle would have destroyed the feel of the music….good catch….
You know I’m not a blues athority, Heath. But Jeff Konkel (above) is. Perhaps he can answer your question.
You know, I’m not usually as big a fan of your music videos as I am of your mini-docs but I do believe that was some great f*cking blues.
Loved it. If they have mp3′s for sale I may even buy it.
-Mike
Hey, I work with “Duck” in Bentonia, Ms! He is as cool as the video portrays him to be. We love his music. Do yourself a favor and get his new C.D.. You’ll soon love his music as much as we do!
got his CD a few weeks ago and love it. now looking forward to seeing him next week at Juke Joint Fest in Clarksdale
One of the best LIVING great bluesman , this music is dying!!
What we are hearing in Europe is mostly rock blues .
Hope to see him next year when i hope vissit the States.
Kind regards -leo
I just saw him live at the Highway 61 blues festival in Leland, MS. He was great. After his show he gave me an autograph and introduced me to his family that was with him. A great musician and a great guy!