I know about looking into Luther Allison's eyes. I know about being lost in his soul. I
know about how we each became a better person after looking into Luther's eyes. It
happened to me, so I know what Ronnie Baker Brooks means.
In 1995 at Bruce Iglauer's wedding reception
at Buddy Guy's Legends, Ronnie and Luther Allison were on stage closing the evening out.
Luther and Ronnie were on their knees playing Luther's favorite, "Precious
Lord." I was fortunate to be there; I saw the intensity of the moment etched on their
faces. In our conversation three years later, Ronnie told me about what that moment did to
him.
"When we started playing, he and I got
into this zone where I forgot where I was. I didn't even know what I was playing. It was
like that every time he called me up. The first time was at Bruce Iglauer's wedding in
1995. We just locked in and forgot where we were. It was more than music. There was
something spiritual there." The pictures I have show Ronnie and Luther on their knees
trading lick's up and down the fretboard. "From that, every time we'd see each other,
he called me out. He said I gave him energy, that's why he called me out. He definitely
gave me energy. It was an honor to be on stage with him." Ronnie experienced what so
many of us around Luther did; once he looked into your eyes, you were somehow changed.
But growing up the son of Lonnie Brooks gave
Ronnie innumerable daily experiences and lessons from his famous father. "The one
thing I always tried to tell him is to mean what you play. Play it straight from the
heart. If you can do that, people will feel what you feel," said Lonnie.
There are many others Ronnie recalls, "I
can't play it if I don't feel it. My dad always said, "Be yourself, don't be another
me, and play it from the heart' to us. My dad always told me 'Don't ever be jealous of
someone because you can get it too if you work at it.' He always preached to learn what I
could from anybody and make it me.
"I didn't know much about the
responsibilities being a band leader until I started getting my own band. Once I started
doing that, I started appreciating more what my dad was doing. I used the lessons he
taught me to keep my own band running," said Ronnie. "There's a lot going on
these days. I've been fortunate enough to have the direction of my dad. And my family to
keep me focused on what I want to do."
"The most amazing thing about having
Lonnie Brooks as my dad was him being at home with us kids, playing with us on the floor,
wrestling, then going to the show that evening and killing the people. He used to do the
Chicago Fest and we'd play with him in the morning, then he'd go out at night and kill
them. Everybody's tryin' to get next to him and I'm smilin' sayin', "That's my dad.
Y'all don't know it but we were just wrestling together." Another time it was a show
in Seattle. "We were on stage when the power went off. We had the crowd in the palm
of our hands; the crowd was rockin'. Dad was sayin', 'We got 'em, we can't lose 'em.' We
were up on a high stage, and he climbed a rafter down off the stage and people were
wonderin' what he was doin'. He got in the audience and climbed on one of the chairs and
started singin' a cappella to 'em. He kept them people goin'. Probably took 'em to a
higher level then he would have if the power had stayed on. It was so obvious that he
wasn't gonna let nothing stop him from touchin' them people. Finally, the power came back
on and we put the music to the song and that took it even higher. We go back there and
people are still talkin' about that show."
"I'm still in awe of him. Sometimes,
playing behind him, I'm caught in a daze. I'll close my eyes and be listening and I'll say
to myself, 'Thank you Lord.' I know this don't happen to everybody, and I want to enjoy it
to the fullest."
True, it didn't last forever. With his own
vision of the blues recorded on his debut CD, GoIddigger, Ronnie Baker Brooks' final
performance as a member of the Lonnie Brooks Band was at Buddy Guy's Legends on New Year's
Eve (December 31, 1998). "It was very emotional and bittersweet, " said Ronnie
of that last night. "There were a lot of memories going through my head. But I was
anxious because I'm looking forward to doing a lot of things. My dad was real cool. He let
me know that if I ever needed anything, he'd be there. I didn't say anything to the crowd;
I left it up to him. We did our last little battle on stage and that was it," said
Ronnie.
"I've been touring with Dad for 12
years. I just need the break now. If I can get somebody believin' in me like they believe
in Jonny Lang and Kenny Wayne, we'll blow these blues way up. I'm not bitter about the
successes of other guys because that just takes away from what I'm tryin' to do. They're
out here tryin' to do it like me. At least they're doing it and keeping it alive. Jonny
and Kenny can open doors that I can never open."
Ronnie was born in 1968 and took to the
guitar very quickly. By six, he was an integral part of the Brooks family band. "I
started teaching him at 6 years old. I used to have a little rehearsal with the band and
have fun with my kids. Wayne was beatin' on a shoebox or pan for the drums, Ronnie was
playing the bass line on guitar, and I'd be playing lead," remembered Lonnie.
Like every nine year old, Ronnie hounded his
dad for the chance to get on stage. Before he left for Europe, his father told him to
learn two songs all the way through, and when he returned Ronnie would get his chance.
"He was away for three months. I knew
the songs, but this gave me the time to learn them where I could just play them real
easy," said Ronnie.
Ronnie remembers well the party that night at
Pepper's Hideout. "I played "Messin' With the Kid" and "Reconsider
Baby" with my dad. I had a mood ring on and that mood ring was changing all kinds of
colors. I was nervous before I got on stage. Then, once I got on there, it felt like that
was what I was born to do. I knew that at a younger age, but not for sure, not until I
played on stage. I knew that this was me expressing myself ."
Lonnie also recalls the night. "Nine
years old, and he played 'Messin' With the Kid' perfect. I let him play like I
promised. Had a suit made like mine. People thought I just had him up there as a gimmick;
they still thought it was me playing. When he got to his solo, I took my hands off the
guitar and held them up in the air. Boy, when the people seen that, they started throwin'
him money! He made more money in one night than I did!"
"I got a standing ovation, people were
throwin' money onstage. My dad still teases me saying, 'I used to make $30 a night, then
he comes around and makes $90 a night," laughed Ronnie. How exactly did Lonnie know
Ronnie was the child of Brooks' nine to follow in his guitar footsteps?
"It's a funny thing," remembered
Lonnie. "I was playing at a club on 63rd Street in Chicago, and I got home
at the time my wife was to go to work. She was mad at me for coming in late. It was early,
and the kids get up as soon as she was up, so I made me a pallet on the floor.
I took my acoustic guitar and went to sleep.
Then, I heard these notes being picked; he was playing the strings. I woke up and saw
that. Other kids older than Ronnie pull on the strings, he didn’t do that, he was
playing just like I played ‘em. He just didn’t know how to note it. He had that
touch already, and I heard that. After that, I started showing him. I saw that when I
started showing him something, he never forgot it. That boy learned everything so
fast."
Ronnie praised his dad’s successful
approach. "He was real cool with that gentle criticism. When someone is starting out,
you have to be careful about what to say to them. That’s what he was like. He
didn’t want to make it look like I was doing it all wrong. If he had said the wrong
thing about my playing, I might have given it up."
In fact, Ronnie gave up music during high
school in favor of basketball. Through it all, Lonnie never showed how much this decision
hurt. "I think when I quit totally was something that really hurt my dad. He’d
accepted me doing both, but I didn’t play guitar at all. The think I love him for is
that he stuck it out and supported me even though it hurt him. He said, 'Well, Ronnie, if
this is what you want to do.' He’d be up all night playing at clubs and then be at my
games the next morning. That made me feel good, but I never realized what I was doing to
my dad. He was crushed behind that." It was meeting Bernard and Luther Allison
at the Chicago Blues Festival that relit the blues fire inside Ronnie.
Ronnie feels that though his father may have
opened the door to a music career, without the talent, he would be quickly forgotten.
"I don’t want anyone to think I got my break because of my dad. I might have
gotten to the door because of the name, but I got through that door because of myself.
Without real talent, you won’t last long in this business. I know that as long as
I’m on this earth, I’m gonna be Lonnie Brooks’ son. I’m able to deal
with that. On my own. And that’s what I want people to understand. I’m always
gonna be his son and I’m willing to accept that, but I don’t want my peers to
think I only got here because of his dad."
The debut CD mixes Brooks’ contemporary
visions with his traditional influences. His twelve originals display a songwriter’s
eye and employ everything from funky rhythms to down home blues. "I’m maturing
every day as a song writer. I write about true experiences in my life and the experiences
of others. I’m scared to touch on too many heavy social issues because I’m
scared to come out with that label on my first CD. Once I get in it, I’ll try and
ease them in. I want people to accept me as an artist first, not a preacher, tellin’
people what to do. If you shove it down people’s throat, they won’t listen. My
CD lets ‘em know I can cook, then I can take them wherever I want to go."
(Ronnie spoke with Marilyn Genever about
playing with Luther Allison, what it was like growing up the son of Lonnie Brooks, about
making his first CD, and going out on his own.)
Marilyn Genever: Let's talk more about
the new CD, GoIddigger. How much recording had you done before this?
Ronnie Baker Brooks: I've done recordings
with my dad, I've done recordings with several other artists, but nothing solo, this was
my first solo CD.
Was it any different, compared to your
other times in the studio?
A little bit different. All the pressure
was on me. I took a lot of the pressure off my dad when I was in the studio with him. I
learned a lot by going through that with dad, it made mine a little smoother.
GoIddigger came out in September. How do
you get to co-produce on your first CD?
Well, I was fortunate, first of all, to
have someone like Jellybean Johnson involved with this project, along with all the other
musicians and production people who were there. With me doing all the song writing and
arranging, it was easier for me to go in there ... I had an idea of what I wanted to do
and I could explain it to the musicians. Jellybean was just like the "hired
ear," to make sure everything went right. He's got a lot of experience, produced a
number of major talents such as Janet Jackson, Nona Hendrix, all the R&B stuff. He's
from Minneapolis, plays drums with Morris Day and The Time. And he played guitar on my CD.
We recorded in Memphis. I was in good hands -- was very fortunate ... with the musicians
that played on it. They played on Luther Allison's stuff, they played with Jonny Lang,
Kenny Wayne Shepherd, and my dad. And the engineers -- they've worked on a lot of gold
records themselves. The atmosphere was so relaxing. I felt so good being down there
recording.
Being able to have something to say
about the production of your CD ... some people never get to do that. Who were the
musicians on GoIddigger?
On keyboards we had a guy by the name of
Ernest Williamson, and on bass, Dave Smith; Steve Potts on drums and the two Jackies on
back up vocals, Jackie Johnson and Jacquelyn Reddick. Joe Mucherin played the trumpet and
Jim Spake was the sax player. Jellybean did a guitar solo and I had my Dad as a special
guest on one song. It was a lot of people and a lot of fun ... lots of emotion. I put my
heart and soul into this CD. You can never make your first CD again. I wanted to have at
least a shot at doing that myself.
Well, it's a fine recording. There's
such a range of rhythms and of subjects. The song, "Stuck On Stupid" has a line
like a Harriet Tubman line. She said, "Ever' goodbye ain't gone, ever' shut eye ain't
sleep," pretty close to "every closed eye ain't sleeping." "Stuck On
Stupid" is my second favorite song, and "Must've Been Bought" is my first.
Where was your head when you wrote that one?
Actually I wrote that song several years
ago, it's been on the shelf for a while. I was thinking about several things, how people
are losing, selling out, doing things for money, not what they love to do ... you know,
like the women who go out there stripping for the tips. And in the record industry, a lot
of people are playing not from their hearts, they're just doing it for the love of money
... and the TV shows -- people doing crazy things on TV ... and the TV shows letting them
do it, to get the ratings, for the money. So, I was thinking about those kinds of
situations that were going on around me, and in the record industry they feed you what
they want you to do, and you're starving, you know, and you're all alone ... you don't
have real friends because everybody that's around you is around you for the money.
Basically, that's what I was saying.
When I heard that demonic laugh at the
beginning, I thought it was going to be about selling your soul to the devil. Maybe it is.
Was that you laughing?
Yeah, that was me. Actually, it was funny,
when I was recording the song, my dad said, "What are you doing?!" but after we
put it all together and he heard it, he liked it . . . "Oh, that's kinda nice! "
Watching you perform at the Dinosaur,
it seems like you always look happy, and that has an effect on the people who are there
listening -- it makes everyone else happy. How did you manage to get that same upbeat
across in the studio?
I think playing from your heart, you know,
and meaning what you do, and not just going in there and doing anything to make a record.
It's hard to explain, and it's different for different people. My dad always taught me
certain things about recording and performing. Some people come across recording better
than they do live and for others, it's just the opposite. What you got to learn how to do
is come across in both. It takes a lot of practice ... I'm still learning a lot of stuff
... still learning.
You should have a lot of years ahead
of you for that. Why do you have a left-handed neck on a right-handed guitar?
It's a Voodoo Strat, a Jimi Hendrix Strat. A
friend of mine had that made for me -- they sell them in the stores now, but when I got
it, they weren't in the stores yet. He just got it and had my name put on it.
Have you played with your dad since New
Year's Eve?
No, I haven't. I've put together my own band,
called The Ronnie Baker Brooks Blues Band. Jerry Porter, the drummer is a former member of
Buddy Guy's band, and the bass player is a former member of Junior Wells' band. His name
is Vic Jackson. We've got a firm foundation of blues. They're both around my age, with the
same background -- playing the blues with some of the legendary blues musicians. I've been
going out periodically with my own band since 1994, but I hadn't broken away from my dad
until now. We've toured across the United States. The booking agent has us in Cleveland
and Baltimore in April. You know, some people are a little skeptical about booking me. I
think, once they've heard the CD, they'll be a little more comfortable with it. That's
what I'm going through right now. People saw me with my Dad ... I've got a lot of people
that are excited about me going solo -- and then there's the other ones I have to prove
myself to. But I don't mind at all. We may have one or two festivals lined up already. I'm
trying to be patient. This is the toughest part. First of all, it's getting a band
together, and then getting the people to know that you're on your own, getting the club
owners to give you a chance. Then once you've got that, you've got to continue bringing
something to the table.
Any plans for another CD?
I'm already writing songs now, for the
next CD.
How do you write? Do you do it on a
regular schedule?
No, no. It comes to me ... I have to feel
it. A lot of my songs come when I'm driving in my car, on my way to a gig, or on my way
home -- or just driving, period -- when no one's with me. That's when it seems to hit me
-- when I'm driving. I wrote a lot of songs like that. Sometimes when I'm alone in a hotel
room, I write songs -- like last night, I was up writing.
What are you thinking for the next CD?
I'm hoping to do something with my dad and
my brother. You know my brother wrote the Blues For Dummies book, with my dad.
You guys have got it going on!
We're trying. We want to do something
together, all three of us, down the line -- maybe an acoustic album.
That would be really fine. Art Tipaldi
quotes you as saying you didn't want to come off as preaching right off the bat, in your
first CD. When the time is right, what would you be singing about?
Yeah, there are some serious issues going
on right now, but I don't want people to think I'm running for President ... problems like
kids and drugs, the morals of people ... you got the poor, you've got people going to
church and thinking they can get away with doing wrong because they're in church.
Everybody's got to pay their own price. It's not for me to be judgmental on anyone else,
but we need to recognize that it's issues like these that are the cause of what's wrong
today. A lot of people tend to not keep their family structure together. That's one thing
I praise my dad and my mom for -- keeping the family together. It makes a lot of
difference. A lot of problems are alleviated if you have a family base. It all starts at
home.
That comes through loud and clear -- the
total respect you have for your family.
I love my mom and dad -- I can't speak on
how much I love them, and what they've done for me. And I feel like I've got to do for
them, to let them know I appreciate what they've done. They tell me all the time,
"Ronnie, you don't have to do nothin' for us! Just you be yourself." My mother
wants some grand kids (he laughs), but I'll have to let that happen when it happens.
It seems like there's hardly anyone,
anymore, who follows in their father's or mother's footsteps. Things change so fast now
the younger generation seems to think the older generation is obsolete. But, you've been
able to do it, and I was wondering if you ever look down the road ten or twenty years and
think about passing it on?
I think about it, but right now, I'm trying
to concentrate on getting established.
But you've got brothers and sisters so
all the pressure to have grandbabies isn't just on you.
Well, but I'm the only one in the family that
isn't married, and doesn't have kids. But some things you can't always control - and God
has a place for everything.
We hope to see you in Syracuse soon.
Thanks.
Me too! I'm looking forward to getting out
there and letting people know I'm here, and thank you.
To order Ronnie's CD, GOLDDIGGER, send
a check or money order for $18 to: Watchdog Records, P.O. Box 68, Worth, Illinois 60482.
Check out Ronnie's website for his touring schedule and other information on what he's
currently up to:
http://www.RonnieBakerBrooks.com
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