BENTONIA, Miss. (AP) — In the small town of Bentonia, Mississippi, juke joint owner Jimmy “Duck” Holmes is the last carrier of a dying musical storytelling tradition. The Bentonia blues is distinctive for its minor tonality. The style was born in the small town 100 years ago. Now, Holmes is the only one left from the area playing it. The musician plays at his juke joint, Blue Front Café. It was opened by his parents in 1948. Recently, Holmes received a Grammy nomination in the Grammy’s Best Traditional Blues Album category for Cypress Grove. He hopes the record will help preserve the Bentonia blues after he’s gone.
