John Holmes 1933 - 2026
Well-known businessman and family man John Holmes, of Holmes Music, has died at the age of 93.
In Swindon if there was one name that is synonymous with the town's music scene it would be John Holmes, the founder of Holmes Music.
Since its opening in 1963 his business Holmes Music, now based on Faringdon Road, was, and still is, the central hub for musicians across the town.
An aladdin's cave of instruments and every other thing a musician could possibly need, any musician worth their salt would have passed through the doors of the shop at some point and come into contact with John.
John will be remembered by many as the man who helped them with their every musical need and they will also remember his passion for music and how he championed as many musicians as possible.
John is survived by his wife Jean, his brother Tony, sons Paul, Alan and Peter, grandchildren Kerry, Lindsey, Lauren, Freya, Tillie, Chloe and Mitchell, and his many great-grandchildren. The shop was at the centre of the family's life with Paul, Alan and Peter working there to this day.
But it was only by chance that the shop came into being in the first place as it actually started as a driving school in Morse Street. A friend asked if John would help sell his accordion by putting it in the window of the driving school. It sold pretty quickly and this got John thinking… and so Holmes Music was born.
As the business grew, a relocation to 11 Faringdon Road (now Darkroom Espresso) happened a few years later. By 1970 a larger premises was needed, so another move a few doors along to 21-23 was made.
It didn’t stop there. At its peak, John's music empire had shops in Bristol, Oxford, Cheltenham plus additional outlets in Swindon's Brunel centre and a concession in the Debenhams department store.
Alan said: "The shop became one of the top dealers for Yamaha in the UK. Dad and mum went all around the world with all the different companies like Technics and Yamaha. He was seen as one of the top music dealers in the country.
"He saw so many musicians come through the shop over the years. We had customers like Andy Scott from Sweet, Julian Cope and the members of XTC, Justin Hayward and even Jamie Cullum.
"He was also such a good musician himself on the organ. Most of the stuff he did musically was for charity raising thousands of pounds.
"He was a workaholic, in the best way, and was rightfully proud of what he created. Music and customer service were in his blood and these things remained his driving force throughout. A lot of his customers became his friends, and he ended up outliving most of them!
"Thank you to all our customers and friends for your lovely messages. It would have meant so much to dad to know that he was held in such fond memories."
John's love of music started back when he was eight years of age when his mother bought him a little piano accordion.
The young John soon became skilled enough to perform in public, both solo and in groups such as The New Era Swingtett and the Johnnie Holmes Band.
He later began playing the electronic organ, and performed for local community groups and good causes throughout the years.
After leaving school, John began training as an electrician – and continued that training during a four-year stint in the RAF which included a posting to Egypt during the early stirrings of rebellion over the Suez Canal.
Jean said: "He played the accordian so well. He played the accordian in Egypt with a chameleon on his shoulder. He was very popular."
In 1958, he started The Safedrive School of Motoring in Morse Street, which grew to have a fleet of seven cars, but then came the chain of events which saw the young man fulfil his true ambition when a friend asked him to display his accordian.
Back in an interview for the Swindon Advertiser in 2017, he told Barrie Hudson:“I always wanted to have a music shop, but funds weren’t there at the time. It was the driving school that helped me put the funds together to afford to go into the music business."
One thing that John will be remembered for is his charity work.
Alan said: "He always did so much for charity during his life. A role that I have taken on since. Any big event in Swindon we used to be at the centre of it.
"He also had a great love of cars and boats but it was family that was his true love after music. He was such a good dad to us all. Music was his life though. It was his passion.
"He will be missed by so many people as he touched the lives of so many."
The funeral of John Holmes will be held at Emmanuel Church in Upham Road on Monday 26 October at 11.30am.
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