Mr. Somebody - Music

Lonnie Brooks Lee Baker Jr. December 18 1933 - April 1 2017 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." 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." Brooks 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" Which Remains A Favorite Of The Swamp Pop Idiom In Southern Louisiana And Southeast Texas. 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 . 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. 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. Since That Time Brooks Has 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" Includes Elements Of Chicago Blues Louisiana Blues Swamp Pop And Rhythm And Blues. Other Labels Have 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. Brooks Continues 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 Other's 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. Discography Lone Star Shootout With Long John Hunter And Phillip Walker Alligator 1999 Deluxe Edition Alligator 1997 Roadhouse Rules Alligator 1996 Let’s Talk It Over 1977 Sessions Released By Delmark 1993 Satisfaction Guaranteed Alligator 1991 Live From Chicago Bayou Lightning Strikes Alligator 1988 Wound Up Tight Alligator 1986 Live At Pepper’s Black Magic 1985 Reissued By Black Top 1996 The Crawl As Guitar Jr. Goldband Singles Reissued By Charly 1984 Hot Shot Alligator 1983 Turn On The Night Alligator 1981 Blues Deluxe Alligator/WXRT 1980 Bayou Lightning Alligator 1979 Living Chicago Blues Vol. 3 Alligator 1978 Sweet Home Chicago Black & Blue 1975 Reissued By Evidence Records 1994 Broke An' Hungry As Guitar Jr. Capitol 1969 read less