Seventy-three-year-old Jimmy “Duck” Holmes is the last of the old Bentonia bluesmen – a brand of blues known for its haunting, hypnotic style. For decades, Holmes had played mostly at his own juke joint, the Blue Front café, But a couple years ago, his friend and manager brought him to Nashville for a secret purpose: to record a blues album with musician and producer Dan Auerbach. The result: “Cypress Grove,” a Grammy nominee for Best Traditional Blues Album. Steve Hartman reports.
