Wayne Baker Brooks
Being born into Blues royalty would seem to preordain a family member to follow in those footsteps. Wayne Baker Brooks, the youngest son of Lonnie Brooks, certainly saw his older Ronnie brother prosper taking the likely trail. But that didn’t stop him from following his own mind and taking a somewhat circuitous route back to the Blues fold.
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In keeping with his outlook – “I’m a leader not a follower” – Wayne first tried his hand at a life in sports. It was only after suffering a number of injuries that he taught himself guitar and accepted what surely had to be the path of least resistance leading to the Blues.
That road to the Blues came into view when he started working as a roadie for his father. That situation progressed to Wayne joining his father on stage, and continuing to do so even after venturing out on his own in 1997 at 27 years of age. By the time he released his only full length recording Mystery, (on his own Blue Island imprint), he had played in the Lonnie Brooks Band for 15 years.
It was a late start but the recording showed that Wayne had a vision all his own. The recording reveals him to be a robust soulful singer, top flight guitar player, and an adventurous performer. The Blues are omnipresent but Mystery also flashes other idioms including shades of Soul, Funk, and Hip Hop.
Wayne Baker Brooks’ take on the Blues mirrors the Chicago Blues scene today. If you want a window into what’s going down in Chitown, look no further than Wayne Baker Brooks at Violet’s Venue.
