In the world of blues music, every day is a gift. As time passes, and unique voices pass on, we treasure every opportunity we have to spend time with the masters that remain – as well as with those on the rise.

In 2015, we’re honored to welcome the Sherman Holmes Project with Brooks Long to the Port Townsend Acoustic Blues Festival. The Holmes family is blues royalty, but 2015 has been a year of loss and change for the acclaimed soul/blues/gospel band The Holmes Brothers.  Holmes Brothers drummer Willie “Popsy” Dixon died on January 9, 2015 of cancer. In April 2015, Wendell Holmes, vocalist, guitarist, pianist and songwriter, announced his retirement from touring and performing due to health concerns, having been diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension.

Older brother, Sherman Holmes, vocalist, bassist, pianist, and songwriter with The Holmes Brothers, will continue to celebrate and explore The Holmes Brothers legacy, leading a new band: The Sherman Holmes Project with Brooks Long. In this blues moment, Sherman and Brooks play at the Library of Congress with our good friend and former artistic director Phil Wiggins.

You can spend  a week hanging out with each of them – and the rest of the faculty by registering for the weeklong workshop that is the heart of the Festival.