REMEMBERING LONNIE
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By Rosalind Cummings-Yeates
Lonnie Brooks obert Johnson may have penned Chicago’ s signature tune,“ Sweet Home Chicago” but it was Lonnie Brooks, with a searing version that throbs with style and soul, who recorded the definitive version. He was Louisiana-born and Texas-bred but Lonnie Brooks helped broaden the Chicago blues landscape with a career that spanned 60 prolific years. His charismatic showmanship and signature blend of Louisiana and Chicago blues was unlike anything seen or heard before. As the patriarch of the Brooks blues dynasty with his talented sons Ronnie and Wayne, Lonnie Brooks’ musical impact will continue for decades to come.
Born Lee Baker, Jr. in 1933, in the tiny town of Dubuisson, Louisiana, Lonnie was exposed to the musician’ s lifestyle at a young age. His grandfather, Joe Thomas, was a popular banjo player who played at local parties and events and young Lonnie often accompanied him, watching him entertain appreciative crowds. Although he wouldn’ t officially start his musician’ s career until he was in his‘ 20s, his grandfather’ s influence left a deep impression. By the time he moved to Port Arthur, Texas in the‘ 50s, he had learned to play guitar skillfully enough to earn a gig playing
with zydeco king Clifton Chenier. He snagged his first hit in 1957 with the Gulf Coast swamp boogie,“ Family Rules.” Under the name Guitar Junior, he developed his crowd-pleasing showmanship and scored another regional hit,“ The Crawl.”
With a bunch of popular Southern hits that created high demand for his brand of bayou blues, Lonnie toured Texas and Louisiana dance halls, theaters and juke joints, eventually catching the attention of Sam Cooke when they played on the same bill. Recognizing the freshness of Lonnie’ s sound, Sam suggested that he move to Chicago to expand his career. Lonnie moved to Chicago in 1959, staying with Sam and his family as he discovered the ins and outs of the city.“ Sam Cooke brought my dad to Chicago. Sam took him around to VJ and Chess Records, he really hooked him up,” recalled Ronnie Baker Brooks of his dad’ s introduction to the Chicago blues scene. One of the first things that he learned was that there was already a guitarist using the name Guitar Junior. He changed his name to Lonnie Brooks and started incorporating the Chicago blues into his swamp boogie sound. He picked up the foundation of Chicago blues style by doing session work. Lonnie played on the Jimmy Reed classic,‘ Big Boss Man’’ and“ You Don’ t Have To Go,” honing his sound throughout the‘ 60s into what would become a dazzling mix of spark and skill.
By the time the‘ 70s hit, Lonnie had established himself as a Chicago bluesman with a singular style. Not only did he pump his music with an undercurrent of bouncy Louisiana and Texas rhythms but his explosive delivery made his shows unforgettable. Noted for sometimes playing his guitar with his mouth and always bringing the good-time swagger of a bayou juke joint to his performances, Lonnie Brooks was a true original.“ Very early on, my dad coached us( Ronnie and Wayne) on the importance of writing our own material and creating our own identity,” remembered Ronnie about his father’ s focus on carving out an individual sound and style.
Lonnie produced 11 albums and dozens of singles during his high-powered career. From his riveting appearance on the Living Chicago Blues anthology to his standout debut Bayou Lightning, and the searing Hot Shot( both on Alligator), Lonnie Brooks made his presence known. And that was just on record. His legendary live shows required buckets of water and a fire extinguisher to soothe the heat from Lonnie’ s flame-throwing guitar riffs and intense singing. Touring the world throughout his career, Lonnie won the prestigious Grand Prix du Disque Award at the 1980 Montreux Jazz Fest. He took his place among blues royalty during a ground-breaking 1993 national tour featuring B. B. King, Buddy, Guy, Koko Taylor, Junior Wells and Eric Johnson. In 2010, he was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame.
As a noted family man, Lonnie’ s proudest legacy was guiding his sons Ronnie and Wayne in his footsteps as a blues original.“ It’ s an honor to be his son, he taught me everything I know but not everything he knows,” said Ronnie. Fittingly, Lonnie’ s last recorded appearance was on Ronnie’ s new album, Times Have Changed( Provogue). Deftly reworking the‘ 60s R & B hit,“ Twine Time” into a roof-raising, Lonnie Brooks party anthem, the tune’ s joyful spirit memorializes the essence of the great blues man. His life and legacy lives on through his music and his sons.
18 illinoisentertainer. com may 2017