Danny Brooks (born Daniel G. P. Middlebrook on December 16, 1951) is a blues and Memphis-style R&B musician, singer-songwriter and author now living in Llano, Texas, United States. He performs with a full band as Danny Brooks and The Rockin' Revelators, Danny Brooks & The Austin Brotherhood or Danny Brooks & The Memphis Brothers.

Musical career

Brooks is known as a

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

and gospel blues artist. His music reflects influences drawn from bluegrass,

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

and R&B. He has released nine albums in his more than 30 years as a performer. Brooks and his band have performed at blues festivals across North America, including at the

Austin City Limits Music Festival The Austin City Limits (ACL) Music Festival is an annual music festival held in Zilker Park in Austin, Texas on two consecutive three-day weekends. Inspired by the KLRU/PBS music series of the same name, the festival is produced by Austin-based ...

, the Distillery Blues Festival and the Beaches International Jazz Festival in Toronto, Ottawa Bluesfest, and the Back to the Blues festival in Chilliwack (near Vancouver, British Columbia). In addition he has appeared on CBC Radio One,

CBC Radio 2 CBC Music (formerly known as CBC FM, CBC Stereo and CBC Radio 2) is a Canadian FM radio network operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It used to concentrate on classical and jazz. In 2007 and 2008, the network transitioned towards a ...

, CFRB radio Toronto,

Open Mike with Mike Bullard ''Open-Mike with Mike Bullard'' was a Canadian late-night talk show which was broadcast live from 1997 to 2003 on CTV and on The Comedy Network in primetime. It was hosted by comedian Mike Bullard and initially taped at a studio at the back of ...

, and on 100 Huntley Street. He has also made guest appearances on albums by the Mighty Jeremiahs and Taildragger. Brooks has been in the music business since the early 1970s, having played in blues, country, hard rock and rhythm and blues bands. He had an early introduction to public ministry when his father had Danny, his brother and his sister stand at street corners in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

repeating scripture verses. After a rough life and a season of rebellion he was sent to prison for a short stretch in 1972. Brooks attributes his skill in writing music to the time he spent in prison. In 1987, three months after his release from the Donwood Institute in Toronto where he was treated for alcohol and drug addiction, he came to his faith.

Donwood Institute The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH, pronounced , french: Centre de toxicomanie et de santé mentale) is a psychiatric teaching hospital located in Toronto and ten community locations throughout the province of Ontario, Canada. It r ...

He's been active in

prison ministry Prison religion includes the religious beliefs and practices of prison inmates, usually stemming from or including concepts surrounding their imprisonment and accompanying lifestyle. "Prison Ministry" is a larger concept, including the support of th ...

since 1991. In 1991 Danny Brooks was nominated for the

Juno Award The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall of ...

for Most Promising Male Vocalist. In 2000 he released his first all-

Gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

CD titled: ''Righteous'', a project which began when he first introduced gospel songs to his performance at a Toronto club in December 1999. In 2000 he also put together a successful gospel revue, the NorthernBlues Gospel Allstars, with well-known musicians Amoy Levy, Ceceal Levy, Hiram Joseph, and John Finley. That effort resulted in the 2002 album ''Saved!'', which earned a 2003 Juno nomination. Danny Brooks and The Rockin' Revelators' most recent project was to complete the Soulsville trilogy of albums, honouring the music of

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

: ''Souled Out 'n Sanctified'' (2004), ''Rock This House'' (2005), and ''Live at the Palais Royale'' (2009). The third installment of the Soulsville Trilogy was dedicated to the memory of long-time friend, and producer/artist on Soulsville "Souled Out n' Sanctified" and Soulsville "Rock This House" Richard Bell. Recently Brooks was included in a project by Garth Hudson (The Band) entitled "Canadian Celebration of The Band" which was released November 2010, distributed in Canada by Sony. Along with Garth Hudson, the CD included

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Furay ...

, Bruce Cockburn,

The Sadies The Sadies are a Canadian rock and roll / country and western band from Toronto, Ontario. The band consists of Dallas Good, Travis Good, Sean Dean and Mike Belitsky. Dallas and Travis are the sons of Margaret and Bruce Good, and nephews of Bria ...

, Mary Margaret O'Hara,

Peter Katz Peter Katz is an American film producer. His work includes ''Pop Skull'', ''Home Sick'' and ''Mortuary''. Career Katz has produced genre films that have screened at the AFI Fest, Rome Film Festival, as well as the New Zealand International Fi ...

and the Curious,

Suzie McNeil Susan Jane "Suzie" McNeil is a Canadian pop rock singer and songwriter. After garnering attention as a contestant on Rock Star: INXS in 2005, McNeil began pursuing a musical career and released her debut album, '' Broken & Beautiful'', on Apri ...

Cowboy Junkies Cowboy Junkies are an alternative country and folk rock band formed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1985 by Alan Anton (bassist), Michael Timmins (songwriter, guitarist), Peter Timmins (drummer) and Margo Timmins (vocalist). The three Timminses ...

Kevin Hearn Kevin Neil Hearn (born July 3, 1969) is a Canadian musician who is a member of Barenaked Ladies, and his own group, Kevin Hearn and Thin Buckle. He primarily plays keyboards and guitars. He is also a member of Rheostatics. Early life Hearn was ...

and Thin Buckle,

Blue Rodeo Blue Rodeo is a Canadian country rock band formed in 1984 in Toronto, Ontario. They have released 16 full-length studio albums, four live recordings, one greatest hits album, and two video/DVDs, along with multiple solo albums, side projects, a ...

, The Road Hammers, Raine Maida,

Chantal Kreviazuk Chantal Jennifer Kreviazuk (; born May 18, 1974) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, composer, and pianist. Born in Winnipeg, she played music from a young age before signing with Columbia Records in the 1990s. Her debut studio album, ''Under These ...

, Hawksley Workman,

Great Big Sea Great Big Sea was a Canadian folk rock band from Newfoundland and Labrador, best known for performing energetic rock interpretations of traditional Newfoundland folk songs including sea shanties, which draw from the island's 500-year Irish, Scot ...

, The Trews, Ian Thornley and Danny Brooks and The Rockin' Revelators. October 2012 saw the release of Brooks first effort since moving south to Llano, Texas. The album Texassippi Soul Man is fine mix of soul, blues, gospel, rock and country ... further entrenching Brooks as a diverse and constantly growing artist in the roots music genre. The album was produced by ex- Mink DeVille guitarist

Louis X. Erlanger Louis X. Erlanger (born June 3, 1952, New York City) is an American rock and roll and blues guitarist best known for his work with the band Mink DeVille. Erlanger recorded three albums with the band: ''Cabretta'' (1977), ''Return to Magenta'' (19 ...

and mixed by Canadian bass player/producer Alec Fraser ex-

Jeff Healey Band Norman Jeffrey Healey (March 25, 1966 – March 2, 2008) was a Canadian blues, rock and jazz singer, guitarist, and songwriter who attained popularity in the 1980s and 1990s. He reached No. 5 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart with " Ang ...

Discography

* ''After the Storm'' (Unidisc/Duke Street/MCA, 1990) * ''Rough Raw & Simple'' (Duke Street/MCA, 1993) * ''It's A Southern Thing'' (Southern Jule, 1998, review) * ''Righteous (live at the Southside Shuffle)'' (HIS House Records, 2000) * ''Soulsville: Souled Out 'n Sanctified'' (HIS House Records, 2004) * ''Soulsville: Rock This House'' (HIS House Records, 2005, review) * ''No Easy Way Out'' (Rockin' Camel Music, 2007, review) * ''Soulsville: Live at the Palais Royale'' (HIS House Records, 2009, review) * ''Texassippi Soul Man'' (HIS House Records, 2012, review) * ''This World Is Not Your Friend'' (HIS House Records, 2015, review)

Books

* Miracles for Breakfast: How Faith Helped Me Kick My Addictions (

John Wiley & Sons John Wiley & Sons, Inc., commonly known as Wiley (), is an American multinational publishing company founded in 1807 that focuses on academic publishing and instructional materials. The company produces books, journals, and encyclopedias, in p ...

, 2008)

Collaborations

* guitar and vocals on the Northern Blues Gospel Allstars' ''Saved!'' ( NorthernBlues Music, 2002)

Appearances

* backing vocals on The Mighty Jeremiahs' album ''Mighty Jeremiahs'' (2006, review) * backing vocals on the Taildraggers' album ''Skeptictank'' (2006) * ''Rock n Roll to Feed the Soul (Production Sampler Vol. 1)'' (Ear X-tacy/Paradigm Shift, 2005, review) * performed "Forbidden Fruit" on Garth Hudson's ''Canadian Celebration of The Band'' (Curve Music, 2010, reviews)

Songs in other projects

* ''Saved!'', "24/7/365", "Righteous Highway", and "Still Standing Tall" (NorthernBlues Music, 2002)

Awards and recognition

;Blues Hall of Fame * 2009 Blues Ambassador to Ontario, Canada ;CGMA Covenant Awards * 2006 nominee, Best Jazz/Blues Album of the Year: ''Soulsville: Rock This House'' ;Independent Music Awards * 2008 nominee, Favourite Blues Artist/Group or Duo of the Year The Indies, CBC Radio 2
Cbc.ca, Retrieved April 4, 2010. ;International Songwriting Competition (ISC) * 2003 Runner-up, Gospel/Christian: "Nobody Knows You Like The Lord" * 2003 Semi-Finalist, Blues: "Soulsville" * 2003 Semi-Finalist, Gospel/Christian: "Souled Out 'n Sanctified" * 2004 Honorable Mention, Blues: "Righteous Highway" * 2004 Honorable Mention, Gospel/Christian: "Glory Hallelujah" * 2005 Semi-Finalist, AAA/Roots/Americana: "Hold On" ;Juno Awards * 1991 nominee, Most Promising Male Vocalist * 2003 nominee, Contemporary Christian/Gospel Album of the Year: NorthernBlues Gospel Allstar Chorus, ''Saved!'' ;Maple Blues Awards * 2002 nominee, Male Vocalist of the Year * 2004 nominee, Male Vocalist of the Year * 2005 nominee, Male Vocalist of the Year * 2007 four nominations, including: Male Vocalist of the Year, Recording of the Year: ''No Easy Way Out'', Songwriter of the Year, and the Blues With A Feeling Award (Lifetime Achievement) * 2008 two nominations, including: Male Vocalist of the Year, and the Blues With A Feeling Award (Lifetime Achievement) * 2009 nominee, Blues With A Feeling Award (Lifetime Achievement) * 2010 nominee, Blues With A Feeling Award (Lifetime Achievement) ;National Association of Rhythm and Blues Dee Jays (NARB) * 2005 #1 Song: "Other Side Of The Cloud" * 2008 #5 Song: "Ain't That The Truth" ;Shai Awards (formerly the Vibe Awards) * 2007 Best Jazz/Blues Album Of The Year: ''Soulsville: Rock This House''

References

External links

*
Danny Brooks' Official Website

Danny Brooks' Reverbnation page

Rockin' Camel Music
(label)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brooks, Danny 1951 births Canadian blues singers Canadian blues guitarists Canadian gospel singers Canadian male singer-songwriters Canadian singer-songwriters Christian writers Gospel blues musicians Living people Singers from Toronto Writers from Toronto