Hadda Brooks
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Hadda Brooks (October 29, 1916 – November 21, 2002) was an American pianist, vocalist and composer, who was billed as "Queen of the Boogie". She was Inducted in the
Rhythm and Blues Foundation The Rhythm and Blues Foundation is an independent American nonprofit organization dedicated to the historical and cultural preservation of rhythm and blues music. The idea for the foundation came in 1987 during discussions about royalties with en ...
Hall of Fame in 1993.


Career

Her first recording, "Swingin' the Boogie", for
Modern Records Modern Records (Modern Music Records before 1947) was an American record company and label formed in 1945 in Los Angeles by the Bihari brothers. Modern's artists included Etta James, Joe Houston, Little Richard, Ike & Tina Turner and John Lee ...
, was a regional hit in 1945. Another R&B Top Ten hit, "Out of the Blue," was her most famous song. Brooks preferred ballads to boogie-woogie, but developed the latter style by listening to
Albert Ammons Albert Clifton Ammons (March 1, 1907 – December 2, 1949) was an American pianist and player of boogie-woogie, a blues style popular from the late 1930s to the mid-1940s. Life and career Ammons was born in Chicago, Illinois. His parents were pi ...
, Pete Johnson, and
Meade Lux Lewis Anderson Meade Lewis (September 4, 1905 – June 7, 1964), known as Meade Lux Lewis, was an American pianist and composer, remembered for his playing in the boogie-woogie style. His best-known work, "Honky Tonk Train Blues", has been recorded by ...
records. In the 1970s, she commuted to Europe for performances in nightclubs and festivals. She performed rarely in the United States, living for many years in Australia. ''Queen of the Boogie'', a compilation of recordings from the 1940s, was released in 1984. Two years later her manager
Alan Eichler Alan Eichler (born July 17, 1944) is an American theatrical producer, talent manager and press agent who has represented several stage productions, produced Grammy-winning record albums and managed singers including Anita O'Day, Hadda Brooks, Nel ...
brought her out of a 16-year retirement to open a jazz room at Perino's in Los Angeles, after which she continued to perform in nightclubs in Hollywood, San Francisco, and New York City. She sang at Hawaii's statehood ceremony in 1959 and was asked for a private audience by
Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XII ( it, Pio XII), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (; 2 March 18769 October 1958), was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death in October 1958. Before his e ...
. She resumed her recording career with the 1994 album ''Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere'' for DRG.
Virgin Records Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman. It grew to be a worldwid ...
acquired the old Modern catalogue and, thanks to Brooks' new-found success, issued a compilation of her 1940s and 1950s recordings entitled ''That's My Desire''. The label signed her to record three songs for the Christmas album ''Even Santa Gets the Blues'', made more unusual by the fact she had releases on the same label 50 years apart. ''Time Was When'' (Virgin, 1996) included Al Viola (guitar),
Eugene Wright Eugene Joseph Wright (May 29, 1923 – December 30, 2020) was an American jazz bassist who was a member of the Dave Brubeck Quartet. Career Wright was a cornetist at high school and led the 16-piece band Dukes of Swing in his 20s. He was large ...
(bass) and
Richard Dodd Richard Dodd (born April 25, 1965) is an English cellist, recording artist and musician. He has appeared on numerous records beginning from The Three O'Clock's Album Sixteen Tambourines, and spanning different musical genres in Pop, with acts l ...
(cello), and she wrote two of its songs: "You Go Your Way and I'll Go Crazy" and "Mama's Blues". She began playing at
Johnny Depp John Christopher Depp II (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor and musician. He is the recipient of multiple accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to nominations for three Academy Award ...
's Viper Room, the
Algonquin Hotel The Algonquin Hotel is a hotel at 59 West 44th Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, United States. The 181-room hotel, opened in 1902, was designed by architect Goldwin Starrett for the Puritan Realty Company. The hotel has hosted numer ...
's Oak Room, and Michael's Pub in New York City, and such Hollywood clubs as Goldfinger's, the Vine St. Bar and Grill, and the Hollywood Roosevelt Cinegrill. She celebrated her 80th birthday in 1996 by performing two full shows at Depp's Viper Room. In 2007, a 72-minute documentary on Brooks's life, ''Queen of the Boogie'', directed by
Austin Young Austin Young (born April 12, 1966) is an American photographer, film maker and new media artist based in Los Angeles, known for both celebrity portraits and documentation of sub and trans culture. Young is co-founder of Fallen Fruit, an art c ...
and Barry Pett, was presented at the Los Angeles Silver Lake Film Festival.


Personal

Jules Bihari The Bihari brothers, Lester, Jules, Saul and Joe, were American businessmen of Hungarian Jewish origins. They were the founders of Modern Records in Los Angeles and its subsidiaries, such as Meteor Records, based in Memphis. The Bihari brothers we ...
gave her the recording name "Hadda Brooks". In 1940, Brooks married Earl "Shug" Morrison, of the
Harlem Globetrotters The Harlem Globetrotters are an American exhibition basketball team. They combine athleticism, theater, and comedy in their style of play. Created in 1926 by Tommy Brookins in Chicago, Illinois, the team adopted the name ''Harlem'' because of i ...
, but was widowed within a year, and she never married again. Brooks died at the age of 86 at
White Memorial Medical Center Adventist Health is a faith-based, nonprofit integrated health system serving more than 80 communities on the West Coast and in Hawaii. Founded on Seventh-day Adventist heritage and values, Adventist Health provides care in hospitals, clinics, ...
in Los Angeles after open-heart surgery.


Discography


Filmography


References


External links


Interview of Hadda Brooks
Center for Oral History Research, UCLA Library Special Collections, University of California, Los Angeles {{DEFAULTSORT:Brooks, Hadda 1916 births 2002 deaths 20th-century American women pianists 20th-century American pianists 20th-century American women singers 20th-century African-American women singers African-American pianists American blues pianists Boogie-woogie pianists Ace Records (United States) artists Arwin Records artists Kent Records artists Modern Records artists Okeh Records artists Oldie Blues artists Musicians from Los Angeles People from Greater Los Angeles Women jazz pianists 20th-century American singers 21st-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women