Artist

Richard "Groove" Holmes

soul jazz jazz funk hard bop acid jazz jazz

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Revered in soul-jazz circles, Richard "Groove" Holmes was an unapologetically swinging <a href="spotify:artist:5GXruybcLmXPjR9rKKFyS6">Jimmy Smith</a> admirer who could effortlessly move from the grittiest of blues to the most sentimental of ballads. A very accessible, straightforward, and warm player, Holmes was especially popular with Black listeners and was well respected on the Philadelphia/Southern New Jersey circuit by the time he signed with <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Pacific+Jazz%22">Pacific Jazz</a> in the early '60s. He started receiving national attention by recording with such greats as <a href="spotify:artist:34W7ZCX0LZeJd8q6boKGOk">Ben Webster</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:338mC0yGyX0C9of8QMJ5hK">Gene Ammons</a>. Best known for his hit 1965 version of "Misty," Holmes engaged in some inspired organ battles with <a href="spotify:artist:1A0QR12gcj2L5hYh1WWDeh">Jimmy McGriff</a> 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 <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Muse%22">Muse</a> (he also had stints throughout his career with <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Prestige+Records%22">Prestige Records</a> and <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Groove+Merchant%22">Groove Merchant</a>).

Holmes was still delivering high-quality soul-jazz for <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Muse%22">Muse</a> (often featuring tenor titan <a href="spotify:artist:16Xx0WCnAKOA9mwPPSUJmr">Houston Person</a>) when a heart attack claimed his life at the age of 60 in 1991 after a long struggle with prostate cancer. He was a musician to the end, playing his last shows in a wheelchair. ~ Alex Henderson & Steve Leggett, Rovi

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