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Richard Holmes

 
Artist: Richard "Groove" Holmes
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Similar Artists:

Jack McDuff, Shirley Scott, Don Patterson, Jimmy McGriff, Charles Earland, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Big John Patton, Butch Cornell, Dan Fogel, Ceasar Frazier, Willis "Gator" Jackson, Joey DeFrancesco, Brian Jackson, Larry Young, Stanley Turrentine, The Three Sounds, Melvin Rhyne, Charles Kynard, Grant Green, Paul Bryant

Influenced By:

Jimmy Smith, Ron Carter

Followers:

Dan Fogel, Tony Monaco

Performed Songs By:

Duke Ellington, Johnny Burke, Richard Rodgers, Cecil Bridgewater, Oliver Nelson, Les McCann, Erroll Garner, Gene Ammons

Worked With:

Jimmy Witherspoon, Bernard "Pretty" Purdie, Sonny Lester, Rudy Van Gelder, Gene Edwards, Teddy Edwards, Houston Person, George Freeman
  • Born: May 02, 1931, Camden, NJ
  • Died: June 29, 1991, St. Louis, MO
  • Active: '50s, '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s
  • Genres: Jazz
  • Instrument: Organ, Organ (Hammond)
  • Representative Albums: "Blue Groove," "That Healin' Feelin'," "Soul Message"
  • Representative Songs: "Misty," "Broadway," "That Healin' Feelin'"

Biography

Revered in soul-jazz circles, Richard "Groove" Holmes was an unapologetically swinging Jimmy Smith admirer who could effortlessly move from the grittiest of blues to the most sentimental of ballads. Holmes, a very accessible, straightforward and warm player who was especially popular in the black community, had been well respected on the Philadelphia/Southern New Jersey circuit by the time he signed with Pacific Jazz in the early '60s and started receiving national attention by recording with such greats as Ben Webster and Gene Ammons. Holmes, best known for his hit 1965 version of "Misty," engaged in some inspired organ battles with Jimmy McGriff in the early '70s before turning to electric keyboards and fusion-ish material a few years later. The organ was Holmes' priority in the mid- to late '80s, when he recorded for Muse (he also had stints throughout his career with Prestige Records and Groove Merchant) . Holmes was still delivering high-quality soul-jazz for Muse (often featuring tenor titan Houston Person) when a heart attack claimed his life at the age of 60 in 1991 after a long struggle with prostrate cancer. He was a musician to the end, playing his last shows in a wheelchair. ~ Alex Henderson & Steve Leggett, All Music Guide
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Wikipedia: Richard Holmes (organist)
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Richard Arnold "Groove" Holmes (Camden, New Jersey, May 2, 1931 – St. Louis, Missouri, June 29, 1991) was an American jazz organist who performed in the hard bop and soul jazz genre. He is best known for his 1965 recording of "Misty",[1] and is considered a precursor of acid jazz.[citation needed]

Holmes' first album, on Pacific Jazz with guest Ben Webster, was recorded in March 1961.

His sound was immediately recognizable in the upper register, but even more so because of his virtuosity in creating, undoubtedly, the most rapid, punctuating, and pulsating basslines of all the jazz organists.[citation needed] His Prestige recording Live at the Front Room recorded in Newark, New Jersey is one of the great jazz performances on the Hammond-B3.[citation needed]

Though he died at the age of 60, he established a recognition within the community of jazz organ giants of Jimmy Smith (The Sermon!), Brother Jack McDuff (A Real Good 'Un), Jimmy McGriff (I've Got a Woman).

He recorded many albums for Pacific Jazz, Prestige Records, Groove Merchant and Muse Records, many of which featured Houston Person.[1]

Holmes died after a long struggle with prostate cancer, having performed his last concerts in a wheelchair. One of his last gigs was at the 1991 Chicago Blues Festival with his longtime friend, singer Jimmy Witherspoon.

Discography

  • After Hours (1961) (Pacific Jazz)
  • Groovin' with Jug (1961) (Pacific Jazz)
  • Somethin' Special (1962) (Pacific Jazz)
  • Soul Message (1965) (Prestige)
  • Misty (1965) (Prestige)
  • Spicy (1966) (with Ivan "Boogaloo Joe" Jones)
  • A Bowl of Soul (1967) (Loma)
  • Get Up and Get It! (1967) (Prestige)
  • Blue Groove (1967)
  • Soul Power (1967) (Prestige)
  • That Healin' Feelin' (1968)
  • The Groover! (1968)
  • Welcome Home (1969)
  • Workin' on a Groovy Thing (1969)
  • Come Together (1970) (with Ernie Watts)
  • Night Glider (1973) (Groove Merchant)
  • New Groove (1974) (Groove Merchant)
  • Onsa Joy (1974) (Live) (Flying Dutchman)
  • Six Million Dollar man (1975) (Flying Dutchman)
  • I'm in the Mood for Love (19??) (Flying Dutchman)
  • Shippin' Out (1977) (Muse)
  • Good Vibrations (1977) (Muse)
  • Broadway (1980)
  • Swedish Lullaby (1984)
  • Blues All Day Long (1988)
  • Hot Tat (1989)
  • Groove's Groove (1991)

References

  1. ^ a b Henderson, Alex & Leggett, Steve at allmusic

External links


This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 
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Artist. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Richard Holmes (organist)".  Read more

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