Died On This Date (June 19, 2015) Wendell Holmes / The Holmes Brothers
themusicsover Wendell Holmes
December 19, 1943 – June 19, 2015
Wendell Holmes was the guitarist, pianist and vocalist for the legendary gospel, R&B, and blues band, the Holmes Brothers. Formed in 1978, the trio built a legion of loyal followers thanks to their heavenly harmonies and overall sound that was once described by the New York Times as “deeply soulful, uplifting and timeless.” Formed in Christchurch, Virginia, the Holmes Brothers moved to Harlem during the ’80s to try their luck in the city’s blues clubs. They signed their first record deal in 1989 and went on to release 12 albums, including three that landed in the top five of the Billboard Blues Album charts. The list of artists they recorded with includes Joan Osborne, Willie Nelson, Peter Gabriel, and Van Morrison. In 2014, they received an National Endowment For The Arts National Heritage Fellowship. Wendell Holmes died from complications due to pulmonary hypertension. He was 71.
What You Should Own
Nick Marsh is best remembered as the co-founder and lead singer of ’80s goth/alternative rock band, Flesh For Lulu. Formed in London in 1982, the band quickly signed to Polyder who unceremoniously dropped them after lackluster sales of the self-titled debut. After a couple more miss-starts, the band signed with Beggars Banquet who was able to place their new single, “I Go Crazy,” into the popular John Hughes film, Some Kind Of Wonderful film; the result, decent rotation on American college radio and their first tour of the United States. The momentum continued with Capitol Records soon releasing Long Live The New Flesh, which included “I Go Crazy,” as well as their second college (and MTV) hit, “Postcards From Paradise.” In 1989, they scored their biggest hit single with “Time And Space,” after which Capitol dropped them for reasons unknown. The band soon split up. During the mid ’90s, Marsh resurfaced fronting a new band called Gigantic, which failed to repeat the success of Flesh For Lulu, so they disbanded a couple of years later. In 2013, Marsh reformed Flesh For Lulu who toured clubs to the cheers of longtime fans. On June 5, 2015, Nick Marsh, 53, died of an aggressive form of throat cancer.
