Jimmy "Duck" Holmes

The Profile

Jimmy "Duck" Holmes is an American blues singer and guitarist from Bentonia, Mississippi, and the owner of the Blue Front Café. He is associated with the Bentonia blues tradition and received attention for the album Cypress Grove (Easy Eye Sound), produced by Dan Auerbach.

Holmes lives in Bentonia, Mississippi and is owner of the historic Blue Front Café (opened by his parents in 1948). He has been active since the 1970s and began recording only in 2006. The DeBaser review (2019) notes he was 72 at the time and highlights Cypress Grove (recorded for Easy Eye Sound, produced by Dan Auerbach) and his connections to the Bentonia school and Skip James repertoire.

DeBaser's review praises Jimmy "Duck" Holmes's Cypress Grove as a deep, genuine blues record rooted in the Bentonia tradition. The album (Easy Eye Sound) is noted for production by Dan Auerbach and strong collaborations. Holmes is presented as an authentic carrier of a regional blues lineage and owner of the Blue Front Café.