小简介
Lonnie Brooks是為數不多將路易斯跳躍Blues與芝加哥電聲結合的相當完美的吉他手。借助這個個人強烈的風格獨特性。Lonnie Brooks在70年代達到個人的巔峰期。Lonnie Brooks的節拍里蘊藏著許多鄉間民謠的氣息。有趣的是Lonnie Brooks父子三人都是Blues樂手。父子同臺表演也一時傳為佳話。
Having forged a unique Louisiana/Chicago blues synthesis unlike anyone elses on the competitive Windy City scene, charismatic guitarist Lonnie Brooks has long reigned as one of the towns top bluesmen. A masterful showman, the good-natured Brooks puts on a show equal to his recordings (and thats saying a lot, considering there are four decades of wax to choose from).
Born Lee Baker, Jr. in Louisiana, Brooks took his time when choosing his vocation; he didnt play guitar seriously until he was in his early twenties and living in Port Arthur, TX. Rapidly assimilating the licks of B.B. King and Long John Hunter, he landed a gig with zydeco pioneer Clifton Chenier (not a bad way to break into the business) before inaugurating his own recording career in 1957 with the influential swamp pop ballad Family Rules for Eddie Shulers Lake Charles, LA-based Goldband Records. The young rock & roller — then billed as Guitar Junior — enjoyed more regional success on Goldband with the rocking dance number The Crawl (covered much later by the Fabulous Thunderbirds). Mercury also issued two 45s by Guitar Junior.
When Sam Cooke offered the young rocker a chance to accompany him to Chicago, he gladly accepted. But two problems faced him once he arrived: there was another Guitar Junior in town (precipitating the birth of Lonnie Brooks), and the bayou blues that so enthralled Gulf Coast crowds didnt cut it up north. Scattered session work (he played on Jimmy Reeds Vee-Jay classic Big Boss Man) and a series of R&B-oriented 45s for Midas, USA, Chirrup, and Chess ensued during the 60s, as Brooks learned a new style of blues. The Guitar Junior sobriquet was briefly dusted off in 1969 for his Capitol album debut, Broke & Hungry, but its lack of success buried the alias for good.
By the late 70s, Brooks was gaining a deserved reputation as an exceptionally dynamic Chicago bluesman with a fresh perspective. He cut four outstanding sides for Alligators first batch of Living Chicago Blues anthologies in 1978 that quickly led to his own Aligator debut LP, Bayou Lightning, the next year. Five more albums of his own for the firm and extensive touring cemented Brooks standing as a Chicago blues giant. Son Ronnie Baker Brooks is a chip off the proverbial block, playing rhythm guitar in his old mans band and duetting on Like Father, Like Son on Lonnies 1991 album Satisfaction Guaranteed. Brooks long association with Alligator Records continued into the late 90s with the release of Roadhouse Rules in 1996, which focused more on R&B than down-home blues, and Lone Star Shootout in 1999. The disc featured Brooks with fellow guitar slingers Long John Hunter and Phillip Walker playing together and solo in varied combinations of bluespower.