Ronnie Baker Brooks
NewMusicForOldFolks says …
I had heard the name Ronnie Baker Brooks before setting sail on the Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise recently, but I had not heard more than a song or two and had certainly not seen him in person. So when going over the schedule for the cruise his performances were not the highest priority. Then, on the first night, Brooks was the first guest on the stage during Tommy Castro's pro-jam. Brooks and Castro jammed together like two old pros and, by the time they'd played a couple of songs together, I knew that we'd need to take in a couple of Brooks' sets on the cruise. Brooks 2017 album Times Have Changed — his first new release in more than a decade — includes appearances by musicians such as Steve Cropper, "Big Head" Todd Mohr and Walter Trout. His bluesman father Lonnie Brooks also makes an appearance. It's very good, but don't pass up a chance to see him live. You'll want to see him again soon.
Artist's Info
Website: ronniebakerbrooks.com
See him live: Tour dates
Record company: Provogue
Genre: Blues
If you like this, look into: Tommy Castro, Smokin' Joe Kubek & Bnois King, Coco Montoya
Bio (From the artist's website)
On the first day recording Times Have Changed – the 11-track album from Chicago bluesman Ronnie Baker Brooks that brings a sound so big it could topple a Louisiana juke joint – industry-revered album producer and drummer Steve Jordan told Brooks to put his pedal board back in the van. For the first time in his professional life, Brooks, the son of Texas and Chicago blues legend Lonnie “Guitar Jr.” Brooks, would plug a Gibson into TKTK amp and rip it straight from there. “Back to the basics. The pedals get in the way of your tone – your natural tone. Any distortion I had came straight out of the amp.” Brooks remembers from the Times sessions. “It was almost like going to college, or grad school. It was definitely an education.” (more)
Spotify sampler
Recordings
TIMES HAVE CHANGED (2017): Times Have Changed, Brooks’ first album in 10 years, carries with it the weight of grown perspective and time spent perfecting old material. Brooks worked it with Steve Jordan, whose work runs from Keith Richards to Stevie Wonder, John Mayer and Eric Clapton. “I decided to go to Memphis and Nashville for the particular musicians and studios I wanted to engage,” producer Steve Jordan explained. “As it turns out, Ronnie had done a few of his previous recordings in Memphis, so he felt right at home.” Collaborating with Jordan represented a lesson in rhythm and blues history. Brooks refers to the director as “a walking encyclopedia of music detail and equipment,” a professor through which Brooks could take that next developmental step. “Once we got the ball rolling, my confidence went higher and higher,” he says. “I’m a better musician for this experience.”
