John Dee Holeman, one of the leading performers of Piedmont blues, died on April 30, 2021 in Roxboro, North Carolina.
Guitarist, singer-songwriter and dancer John Dee Holeman was born on April 4, 1929 in Hillsborough, North Carolina and lived for many years in Durham, North Carolina.
During his early years, Holeman played at local parties and other events. Later, he moved to Durham and started playing electric guitar with pianist Fris Holloway. Both artists became well known for doing the Juba dance (complex hand rhythms that accompany dancers).
Holeman was deeply influenced by Blind Boy Fuller and Lightnin’ Hopkins. Holeman was unable to make a living from music so he had a job in the tobacco industry as a heavy equipment operator and he also worked in the construction sector. In the late 20th century, he started performing throughout the United States and internationally. He received support from the Music Maker Foundation, which is located in Hillsborough, North Carolina, and supports many elder blues musicians.
He released his first album, Bull City After Dark, in 1991. In 1988, the National Endowment for the Arts presented Holeman with a National Heritage Fellowship.
Holeman’s discography included Bull City After Dark (Silver Spring, 1991), Piedmont Blues De Caroline Du Nord – Piedmont Blues of Carolina (Inedit Music, 1992), Country Girl, as John Dee & Fris (Mapleshade, 1993), Bull Durham Blues (Music Maker, 1999), John Dee Holeman with Taj Mahal (Music Maker, 2004), Blues Legends Live, with Sunnyland Slim (Mapleshade, 2006), John Dee Holeman & the Waifs Band (Music Maker, 2007), and You Got to Lose You Can’t Win All the Time (Music Maker, 2009).
[headline photo: John Dee Holeman – Photo by Timothy Duffy]
Author: World Music Central News Room
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