Don Frank Brooks (8 March 1947, in

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...

– 25 October 2000, in

Manhattan, New York Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

) was an American blues harmonica performing artist.

Career

Brooks was a full-time harmonica player with

Waylon Jennings Waylon Jennings (June 15, 1937 – February 13, 2002) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. He pioneered the Outlaw Movement in country music. Jennings started playing guitar at the age of eight and performed at age f ...

and was a prolific session musician with artists that included

Jerry Jeff Walker Jerry Jeff Walker (born Ronald Clyde Crosby; March 16, 1942 – October 23, 2020) was an American country music and folk singer-songwriter. He was a leading figure in the progressive country and outlaw country music movement. He was bes ...

, Judy Collins,

Harry Belafonte Harry Belafonte (born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927) is an American singer, activist, and actor. As arguably the most successful Jamaican-American pop star, he popularized the Trinbagonian Caribbean musical style with an interna ...

, Carly Simon, Ringo Starr,

Tim Curry Timothy James Curry (born 19 April 1946) is an English actor and singer. He rose to prominence for his portrayal of Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the film ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' (1975), reprising the role he had originated in the 1973 London ...

, Bette Midler, Diana Ross, Billy Joel,

Cyndi Lauper Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper Thornton (born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and activist. Her career has spanned over 40 years. Her album ''She's So Unusual'' (1983) was the first debut album by a female artist to achi ...

, The Talking Heads,

Tim Hardin James Timothy Hardin (December 23, 1941 – December 29, 1980) was an American folk and blues musician and composer. As well as releasing his own material, several of his songs, including " If I Were a Carpenter" and "Reason to Believe", beca ...

The Bee Gees ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

Yoko Ono Yoko Ono ( ; ja, 小野洋子, Ono Yōko, usually spelled in katakana ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking. Ono grew up i ...

and the

Plastic Ono Band The Plastic Ono Band was a rock band formed by John Lennon and Yoko Ono in 1969 for their collaborative and solo projects based on their 1968 Fluxus conceptual art project of the same name. Lennon and Ono began a personal and artistic relati ...

, the

James Gang James Gang is an American rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1966. The band went through a variety of line-up changes until they recorded their first album as a power trio consisting of Joe Walsh (guitars, lead vocals), Tom Kriss (bass), a ...

. He was an on stage musician on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

in '' Big River'' in 1985, and ''

The Gospel at Colonus ''The Gospel at Colonus'' is an African-American musical version of Sophocles's tragedy, ''Oedipus at Colonus. '' The show was created in 1983 by the experimental-theatre director Lee Breuer, one of the founders of the seminal American avant-garde ...

'' in 1988, and was heard for weeks on public television on Ken Burns' documentary series '' The Civil War.'' He had attended the

University of North Texas The University of North Texas (UNT) is a public research university in Denton, Texas. It was founded as a nonsectarian, coeducational, private teachers college in 1890 and was formally adopted by the state 11 years later."Denton Normal School, ...

, where, among other things he had been founding member of the Folk Music Club. He was known for his ability to bring out the best of the other performers he played along with.Step son - Leonard N. Lorch

Selected discography

* ''Mr. Bojangles'' –

(1968) * ''Bein' Free'' –

(1970); * ''

Don McLean Donald McLean III (born October 2, 1945) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is best known for his 1971 hit song " American Pie", an eight-and-a-half-minute folk rock "cultural touchstone" about the loss of innocence of the early ...

'' –

(1972); * ''

Feeling the Space ''Feeling the Space'' is Yoko Ono's fourth solo album, her last one on Apple Records. History The entire album adopts a feminist theme, focusing on issues affecting women in the 1970s. Its liner notes parody adult advertising, giving the telep ...

'' –

Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band ''Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band'' is the debut studio album by Japanese artist and musician Yoko Ono, released on Apple Records in December 1970. It was released simultaneously with her husband's album ''John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band''. Backed by the P ...

(1973); * ''

True Stories and Other Dreams ''True Stories and Other Dreams'' is the ninth studio album by American singer and songwriter Judy Collins, released by Elektra Records in 1973. It peaked at No. 27 on the ''Billboard'' Pop Albums charts. The album included Valerie Carter's " ...

'' – Judy Collins (1973); * ''

Newborn An infant or baby is the very young offspring of human beings. ''Infant'' (from the Latin word ''infans'', meaning 'unable to speak' or 'speechless') is a formal or specialised synonym for the common term ''baby''. The terms may also be used to ...

'' –

(1975) * '' Judith'' – Judy Collins (1975) * '' Main Course'' – Bee Gees (1975); * ''

Bread and Roses "Bread and Roses" is a political slogan as well as the name of an associated poem and song. It originated from a speech given by American women's suffrage activist Helen Todd; a line in that speech about "bread for all, and roses too" inspired ...

'' – Judy Collins (1976); * ''

Rumors A rumor (American English), or rumour (British English; see spelling differences; derived from Latin:rumorem - noise), is "a tall tale of explanations of events circulating from person to person and pertaining to an object, event, or issue in p ...

'' – Arrogance (1976); * '' Songs for the New Depression'' – Bette Midler (1976); * '' Ringo the 4th'' – Ringo Starr (1977); * ''

Kate Taylor Kate Taylor (born August 15, 1949) is an American singer-songwriter, originally from Boston, Massachusetts. She is the younger (and only) sister of renowned singer-songwriter James Taylor, a six-time Grammy winner. Biography Taylor was born ...

'' –

(1978); * ''

Guy Clark Guy Charles Clark (November 6, 1941 – May 17, 2016) was an American folk and country singer-songwriter and luthier. He released more than 20 albums, and his songs have been recorded by other artists, including Jerry Jeff Walker, Jimmy Buffet ...

'' –

(1978); * '' Peaks, Valleys, Honky Tonks & Alleys'' –

Michael Martin Murphey Michael Martin Murphey (born March 14, 1945) is an American singer-songwriter best known for writing and performing Western music, country music and popular music. A multiple Grammy nominee, Murphey has six gold albums, including ''Cowboy Songs' ...

(1979); * ''

Loving You Is Where I Belong ''Loving You is Where I Belong'' is an album by Harry Belafonte, released in 1981. Allmusic entry for ''Loving You is Where I Belong''Retrieved November 2009. Track listing # "Something to Hold Onto" (Gene Pistilli, Walter Murphy) – 3:55 # "Mar ...

'' –

(1981); * '' Read My Lips'' –

(1978); * ''

Max Morath Max Morath (born October 1, 1926) is an American ragtime pianist, composer, actor, and author. He is best known for his piano playing and is referred to as "Mr. Ragtime". He has been a touring performer as well as being variously a composer, rec ...

and His Ragtime Stompers'',

Vanguard The vanguard (also called the advance guard) is the leading part of an advancing military formation. It has a number of functions, including seeking out the enemy and securing ground in advance of the main force. History The vanguard derives fr ...

VSD79440 (1980); ::

(piano,

kazoo The kazoo is an American musical instrument that adds a "buzzing" timbral quality to a player's voice when the player vocalizes into it. It is a type of '' mirliton'' (which itself is a membranophone), one of a class of instruments which modifie ...

), Don Brooks (harmonica),

Eric Weissberg Eric Weissberg (August 16, 1939 – March 22, 2020) was an American singer, banjo player, and multi-instrumentalist, whose most commercially successful recording was his banjo solo in " Dueling Banjos," featured as the theme of the film ''Deliv ...

(guitar), Bill Keith (banjo), Dave Bargeron (tuba,

euphonium The euphonium is a medium-sized, 3 or 4-valve, often compensating, conical-bore, tenor-voiced brass instrument that derives its name from the Ancient Greek word ''euphōnos'', meaning "well-sounding" or "sweet-voiced" ( ''eu'' means "well" o ...

), Ron Traxler (Ronald E. Traxler; 1935–2008) ( washboard, drums),

Kenny Kosek Kenny Kosek (born 1949 in The Bronx, New York), is an American fiddler who plays bluegrass, country, klezmer, folk music and roots music. In addition to his solo career, he has performed with many other well-known performers and contributed ...

(violin) * Film scores of French composer

Philippe Sarde Philippe Sarde (born 21 June 1948) is a French film composer. Considered among the most versatile and talented French film composers of his generation, Sarde has scored over two hundred films, film shorts, and television mini-series. He received a ...

: '' Le choc'' (1982 film) & '' J'ai Épousé une Ombre'' (fr) (1983 film); EmArcy (F) 532-000-0; * '' Why Do Fools Fall in Love'' – Diana Ross (1981) * '' Hey Ricky'' –

Melissa Manchester Melissa Manchester (born February 15, 1951) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Since the 1970s, her songs have been carried by adult contemporary radio stations. She has also appeared on television, in films, and on stage. Early l ...

(1982); * '' The Bridge'' – Billy Joel (1986); * ''

Naked Nudity is the state of being in which a human is without clothing. The loss of body hair was one of the physical characteristics that marked the biological evolution of modern humans from their hominin ancestors. Adaptations related to h ...

'' –

Talking Heads Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991.Talki ...

(1988); * '' Strange Kind of Love'' – Love and Money (1988); * '' Storm Front'' – Billy Joel (1989);

Selected filmography

* ''

Buck and the Preacher ''Buck and the Preacher'' is a 1972 American Western film released by Columbia Pictures, written by Ernest Kinoy and directed by Sidney Poitier. Poitier also stars in the film alongside Harry Belafonte and Ruby Dee. This is the first film Sid ...

'' – (1972) * '' Fame'' – (1980) * '' Hors-la-loi'' ''("Outlaws")'' (1985);

Family

On December 14, 1973, Don Brooks married Anne Lorch ''(née'' Anne Lesly Zinman; born 1934), originally from Philadelphia, who, in 1964, divorced Jay Wintner Lorch (born 1930) of

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

. With their marriage, Don Brooks gained a stepson, Leonard Nelson Lorch (born 1959).

Death

Brooks died of

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ...

October 25, 2000, in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

, aged fifty-three.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brooks, Don Frank 1947 births 2000 deaths Musicians from Dallas American harmonica players American blues harmonica players American country harmonica players University of North Texas alumni 20th-century American musicians Plastic Ono Band members Deaths from leukemia Deaths from cancer in New York (state) American session musicians