Topic: John Dee Holeman

[Lignite]

I just received word from North Carolina Arts Council Director Wayne Martin that Piedmont Bluesman and everybody's favorite buddy John Dee Holeman has passed. He was the last one of his generation and of his level of music still performing the piedmont style of old time blues.

[Johnm]

Thank you for sharing that sad news, Lightnin'. I will always treasure the memories of the times I spent in John Dee Holman's company, his singing, playing, dancing in years gone by, and his social presence. He was one of those people who makes every social situation better and more enjoyable, simply by virtue of his presence there, whether or not he was talking and contributing to a conversation or just standing and listening. And some of those toasts he knew--wow! What a great guy he was.

[Lignite]

"I keep my house spic-n-span
 I drink all my milk from Carnation cans
 No tits to pull, no hay to pitch
 I just punch a hole in the son of a bitch!"

[Dom94]

he made a live record in Paris in 1992 that was really good,  "Piedmont Blues de Caroline du nord" ,it is worth listening to..
R.I.P.

[harriet]

R.I.P John Dee Holman

[islandgal]

I have very fond memories of meeting John at Port Townsend Blues Festival. I think it was 2009. Watching him play in a spontaneous jam session outside the dining hall, and performing onstage for the dance was something I'll never forget. I found this image from that year online.

[Stuart]

"I keep my house spic-n-span
 I drink all my milk from Carnation cans
 No tits to pull, no hay to pitch
 I just punch a hole in the son of a bitch!"

The wisdom of the uncommon man.

Rest In Peace, John Dee Holeman

[lindy]

Thanks a lot for sharing that wonderful photo, Jean. That was a great year, because it put John Dee Holeman on stage with Phil Wiggins, Washboard Chaz, Dom Flemons playing bones, and a couple of fine local PT musicians in the rhythm section. Doing the blues the way they should be done, see for yourself:



Thank you John Dee, for making our lives richer.

L

[lindy]

I want to share a couple of other links to celebrate his life. From the Music Maker Relief Foundation:

https://musicmaker.org/artists/john-dee-holeman/

Here's the full image of the tintype that's at the top of the musicmaker.org page:

https://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2017/06/08/blogs/honoring-blues-and-roots-musicians-in-tintypes/s/08-lens-blues-slide-4K5Z.html?smid=pin-share

and there's a great photo of John Dee about half-way down this page:

https://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/01/a-right-to-sing-the-blues/?searchResultPosition=3

[islandgal]

Thank you Lindy for posting this. That was my first time at Centrum Blues week and I was in heaven! It's so great to relive it through this video. RIP John Dee Holeman and thank you for the music.

[Lignite]

he made a live record in Paris in 1992 that was really good,  "Piedmont Blues de Caroline du nord" ,it is worth listening to..

Yes! This is one of his hardest CD to locate but it is also the best. He did not record until 1991 after the vinyl era. This release captures John Dee playing live at the top of his game and the recording quality is spectacular.

[Johnm]

Hi all,
It occurred to me that there is some wonderful footage of John Dee also in the movie "Blues House Party", which I believe can be found on this site in the "Country Blues Related Videos" thread in Down the Dirt Road, or on youtube if you can't find it here. I remember, in particular, a really funky duo number of John Dee and Friz ? with Friz playing an electric keyboard and John Dee on guitar. Lots of good footage of John Jackson, John Cephas and a very young Phil Wiggins, too.
All best,
Johnm

[lindy]

Another location for the Blues Houseparty film:

http://www.folkstreams.net/film-detail.php?id=234

One of my favorite parts is at 30-31 minutes: John Dee showing off his dancing chops.

L