Lonnie Brooks, a blues singer and guitarist whose relationship with his adopted hometown was cemented by his hit recording of Robert Johnson’s “Sweet Home Chicago,” died on Saturday in Chicago. He was 83.
His death was announced by his son Ronnie Baker Brooks.
A prolific musician known for his intense guitar solos and his raspy but strong singing voice, Mr. Brooks told The Chicago Tribune in 1992 that the blues did not come naturally to him at first.
“Then one night, I saw Magic Sam in a little blues club on the South Side,” he said, referring to the blues singer and guitarist born Samuel Maghett. “He went onstage right after he’d gotten into a big fight with his girlfriend, and it was like he was taking it out on his guitar.
“I seen how it came from the heart, so I went home to the basement, and got into that mood that Magic Sam had been in, and the blues came to me.”
Lonnie Brooks was born Lee Baker Jr. in Dubuisson, La., on Dec. 18, 1933, and began playing music professionally in Port Arthur, Tex., in the early 1950s. He played guitar with the zydeco singer and accordionist Clifton Chenier before going out on his own under the name Guitar Junior.
Almost 60 years ago the singer Sam Cooke, with whom he was touring, suggested he move to Chicago. When he learned that there was already a blues guitarist there known as Guitar Junior, he changed his professional name to Lonnie Brooks.
Mr. Brooks’s many albums for the Chicago-based Alligator label included “Bayou Lightning,” “Hot Shot” and “Lone Star Shootout.” His 1980 recording of “Sweet Home Chicago” was so popular locally, his son Ronnie told The Chicago Sun-Times, that “he was like a walking advertisement for Chicago.”
He was among the numerous musicians who appeared in the 1998 movie “Blues Brothers 2000,” starring Dan Aykroyd and John Goodman.
Reviewing a performance by Mr. Brooks in 1992, Jon Pareles of The New York Times praised his “rowdy baritone” and described his guitar solos as “pointed and unhurried, with a tone that slices cleanly across the beat.”
Mr. Brooks toured for many years with his sons Wayne and Ronnie, both guitar players, who are among his survivors.
In a statement, Mayor Rahm Emanuel of Chicago called Mr. Brooks “a Chicago blues legend with a towering talent and soulful style that won him legions of fans across the country and around the world.”
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Lonnie Brooks (born Lee Baker Jr., December 18, 1933 – April 1, 2017)[1][2][3] was an American blues singer and guitarist. The musicologist Robert Palmer, writing in Rolling Stone, stated, "His music is witty, soulful and ferociously energetic, brimming with novel harmonic turnarounds, committed vocals and simply astonishing guitar work."[4] Jon Pareles, a music critic for the New York Times, wrote, "He sings in a rowdy baritone, sliding and rasping in songs that celebrate lust, fulfilled and unfulfilled; his guitar solos are pointed and unhurried, with a tone that slices cleanly across the beat. Wearing a cowboy hat, he looks like the embodiment of a good-time bluesman."[5] Howard Reich, a music critic for the Chicago Tribune, wrote, "...the music that thundered from Brooks' instrument and voice...shook the room. His sound was so huge and delivery so ferocious as to make everything alongside him seem a little smaller."[1]
Contents
[hide]Career[edit]
Brooks was born in Dubuisson, St. Landry Parish, Louisiana.[3] He learned to play blues from his banjo-picking grandfather but did not think about a career in music until he moved to Port Arthur, Texas, in the early 1950s. There he heard live performances by Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, T-Bone Walker, B.B. King, Long John Hunter and others and began to think about making money from music. Clifton Chenier heard Brooks strumming his guitar on his front porch in Port Arthur and offered him a job in his touring band.[citation needed]
Embarking on a solo career, he began calling himself Guitar Jr. and signed with the Goldband label, based in Lake Charles, Louisiana. His singles for the label included the regional hit "Family Rules", which remains a favorite of the swamp pop idiom in southern Louisiana and southeast Texas.[6] Other Goldband singles included "Made in the Shade" and "The Crawl" (both of which were later recorded by the Fabulous Thunderbirds).
In 1960, he moved to Chicago, Illinois, where he adopted the stage name Lonnie Brooks (Luther Johnson was already using the name Guitar Junior there).[3] Brooks found regular work in clubs on the West Side of Chicago, in nearby Gary and East Chicago, Indiana, and occasionally in the Rush Street entertainment area on Chicago's North Side. He recorded numerous singles for various labels, including Chess, Chirrup, Mercury, Midas and USA Records, receiving some local radio airplay. He also supported other artists on record and live, including Jimmy Reed. In 1961, he played guitar on the double album Jimmy Reed at Carnegie Hall.
In 1969, he recorded his first album, Broke an’ Hungry, for Capitol Records. It was produced by Wayne Shuler, son of Eddie Shuler, who had founded Goldband Records in Louisiana.
In 1974, Brooks participated in a multi-artist tour of Europe and recorded an album, Sweet Home Chicago, for the French label Black & Blue. When he returned to Chicago, he began playing regularly at Pepper’s Hideout on the South Side. There he attracted the attention of Bruce Iglauer, head of the fledgling Alligator Records, who had previously seen him at the Avenue Lounge on the city’s West Side.
In 1978, Iglauer included four of Brooks’s songs (including three originals) in the anthology series Living Chicago Blues, released by Alligator. He was signed to the label, which released his album Bayou Lightning the following year.[7] The album won the Grand Prix du Disque Award from the 1980 Montreux Jazz Festival. While in Montreux, Brooks befriended the country music star Roy Clark, who arranged for him to appear on the country music television program Hee Haw.
After that time, Brooks recorded exclusively for Alligator, releasing seven albums in his own name and contributing to shared recordings and compilation appearances. His style, sometimes described as "voodoo blues", included elements of Chicago blues, Louisiana blues, swamp pop and rhythm and blues. Other labels issued pre-1978 recordings by Brooks and compilations of his singles.
Following the release of Bayou Lightning, Brooks began touring in the U.S. and also returned to Europe. A 1982 trip to Germany resulted in an hour-long live performance on German television. His next album, Hot Shot, was released in 1983. His album Wound Up Tight, released in 1986, featured his most famous fan, Johnny Winter, on guitar. Rolling Stone took notice of the album, running a six-page feature on Brooks. In 1987, BBC Radio broadcast an hour-long live performance by him. By this time, his teenage son Ronnie Baker Brooks was touring with the band. He made his recording debut on his father's album Live from Chicago—Bayou Lightning Strikes.
Brooks’s 1991 release, Satisfaction Guaranteed, received much coverage in the press, including features and articles in the Washington Post, the Village Voice, the Chicago Tribune, the Los Angeles Times, Guitar World, Living Blues, Blues Revue, and other publications.
Brooks went on a national concert tour with B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Koko Taylor, Junior Wells and Eric Johnson in the summer of 1993. Eric Clapton, performing in Chicago as part of his "From the Cradle" tour, honored Brooks by inviting the bluesman on stage for an impromptu jam at the blues club Buddy Guy's Legends.
In 1996, Brooks released Roadhouse Rules. The album was produced in Memphis by Jim Gaines, who also produced Luther Allison, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Santana. Ronnie Baker Brooks also played on this album. With fellow Gulf Coast blues veterans Long John Hunter and Phillip Walker (both of whom he had known and played with in the 1950s in Port Arthur), Brooks released Lone Star Shootout in 1999.[8]
Brooks continued to tour in the U.S. and Europe. His sons, Ronnie Baker Brooks and Wayne Baker Brooks, are also full-time blues entertainers, fronting their own bands and touring extensively in the U.S. and abroad. Wayne Baker Brooks also plays in his father's band. The Brookses are frequent guest performers at each others' shows and have booked appearances as the Brooks Family.
Besides his live and recorded performances, Brooks appeared in the films Blues Brothers 2000 and The Express and in two UK television commercials for Heineken beer. His song "Eyeballin'" was used in the film Forever LuLu. "Got Lucky Last Night", featuring Johnny Winter, was used in the film Masters of Menace. Brooks also co-authored the book Blues for Dummies, with Wayne Baker Brooks and the music historian, guitarist, and songwriter Cub Koda.
Brooks was an influence on the soul artist Reggie Sears.[9]
Death[edit]
Brooks died in Chicago, Illinois, United States, on April 1, 2017, at the age of 83.[2]
Discography[edit]
- Broke an' Hungry, as Guitar Jr. (Capitol, 1969)
- Sweet Home Chicago (Black & Blue, 1975; reissued by Evidence Records, 1994)
- Living Chicago Blues, vol. 3 (Alligator, 1978)
- Bayou Lightning (Alligator, 1979)
- Blues Deluxe (Alligator/WXRT, 1980)
- Turn On the Night (Alligator, 1981)
- Hot Shot (Alligator, 1983)
- The Crawl, as Guitar Jr. (Goldband singles reissued by Charly, 1984)
- Live at Pepper’s 1968 (Black Magic, 1985; reissued by Black Top, 1996)
- Wound Up Tight (Alligator, 1986)
- Live from Chicago: Bayou Lightning Strikes (Alligator, 1988)
- Satisfaction Guaranteed (Alligator, 1991)
- Let’s Talk It Over (1977 sessions released by Delmark, 1993)
- Roadhouse Rules (Alligator, 1996)
- Deluxe Edition (Alligator, 1997)
- Lone Star Shootout, with Long John Hunter and Phillip Walker (Alligator, 1999)
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*Lonnie Brooks, a blues singer and guitarist, was born in Dubuisson, Louisiana (December 18).
Lonnie Brooks (b. Lee Baker Jr., December 18, 1933, Dubuisson, St. Landry Parish, Louisiana – d. April 1, 2017, Chicago, Illinois) was born in Dubuisson, St. Landry Parish, Louisiana. He learned to play blues from his banjo-picking grandfather but did not think about a career in music until he moved to Port Arthur, Texas, in the early 1950s. There he heard live performances by Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, T-Bone Walker, B. B. King, Long John Hunter and others and began to think about making money from music. Clifton Chenier heard Brooks strumming his guitar on his front porch in Port Arthur and offered him a job in his touring band.
Embarking on a solo career, he began calling himself Guitar Jr. and signed with the Goldband label, based in Lake Charles, Louisiana. His singles for the label included the regional hit "Family Rules". Other Goldband singles included "Made in the Shade" and "The Crawl" (both of which were later recorded by the Fabulous Thunderbirds).
In 1960, he moved to Chicago, Illinois, where he adopted the stage name Lonnie Brooks (Luther Johnson was already using the name Guitar Junior in Chicago). Brooks found regular work in clubs on the West Side of Chicago, in nearby Gary and East Chicago, Indiana, and occasionally in the Rush Street entertainment area on Chicago's North Side. Brooks recorded numerous singles for various labels, including Chess, Chirrup, Mercury, Midas and USA Records, receiving some local radio airplay. He also supported other artists on record and live, including Jimmy Reed. In 1961, he played guitar on the double album Jimmy Reed at Carnegie Hall.
In 1969, he recorded his first album, Broke an’ Hungry, for Capitol Records. It was produced by Wayne Shuler, son of Eddie Shuler, who had founded Goldband Records in Louisiana.
In 1974, Brooks participated in a multi-artist tour of Europe and recorded an album, Sweet Home Chicago, for the French label Black & Blue. When he returned to Chicago, he began playing regularly at Pepper’s Hideout on the South Side. There he attracted the attention of Bruce Iglauer, head of the fledgling Alligator Records, who had previously seen him at the Avenue Lounge on the city’s West Side.
In 1978, Iglauer included four of Brooks’s songs (including three originals) in the anthology series Living Chicago Blues, released by Alligator. He was signed to the label, which released his album Bayou Lightning the following year. The album won the Grand Prix du Disque Award from the 1980 Montreux Jazz Festival. While in Montreux, Brooks befriended the country music star Roy Clark, who arranged for him to appear on the country music television program Hee Haw.
After that time, Brooks recorded exclusively for Alligator, releasing seven albums in his own name and contributing to shared recordings and compilation appearances. His style, sometimes described as "voodoo blues", included elements of Chicago blues, Louisiana blues, swamp pop and rhythm and blues. Other labels issued pre-1978 recordings by Brooks and compilations of his singles.
Following the release of Bayou Lightning, Brooks began touring in the United States and also returned to Europe. A 1982 trip to Germany resulted in an hour-long live performance on German television. His next album, Hot Shot, was released in 1983. His album Wound Up Tight, released in 1986, featured his most famous fan, Johnny Winter, on guitar. Rolling Stone took notice of the album, running a six-page feature on Brooks. In 1987, BBC Radio broadcast an hour-long live performance by Brooks. By this time, his teenage son Ronnie Baker Brooks was touring with the band. The younger Brooks made his recording debut on his father's album Live from Chicago—Bayou Lightning Strikes.
Brooks’s 1991 release, Satisfaction Guaranteed, received much coverage in the press, including features and articles in the Washington Post, the Village Voice, the Chicago Tribune, the Los Angeles Times, Guitar World, Living Blues, Blues Revue, and other publications.
Brooks went on a national concert tour with B. B. King, Buddy Guy, Koko Taylor, Junior Wells and Eric Johnson in the summer of 1993. Eric Clapton, performing in Chicago as part of his "From the Cradle" tour, honored Brooks by inviting the bluesman on stage for an impromptu jam at the blues club Buddy Guy's Legends.
In 1996, Brooks released Roadhouse Rules. The album was produced in Memphis by Jim Gaines, who also produced Luther Allison, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Santana. Ronnie Baker Brooks also played on this album. With fellow Gulf Coast blues veterans Long John Hunter and Phillip Walker (both of whom he had known and played with in the 1950s in Port Arthur), Brooks released Lone Star Shootout in 1999.
Besides his live and recorded performances, Brooks appeared in the films Blues Brothers 2000 and The Express and in two United Kingdom television commercials for Heineken beer. His song "Eyeballin'" was used in the film Forever LuLu. "Got Lucky Last Night", featuring Johnny Winter, was used in the film Masters of Menace. Brooks also co-authored the book Blues for Dummies, with Wayne Baker Brooks and the music historian, guitarist, and songwriter Cub Koda.
Brooks died in Chicago, Illinois, United States, on April 1, 2017, at the age of 83.
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