Danny Brooks
Encyclopedia
Danny Brooks is a Canadian
Christian
blues
musician, singer-songwriter
and author, living in Milton, Ontario. He performs with a full band as Danny Brooks and The Rockin' Revelators, Danny Brooks & The Austin Brotherhood or Danny Brooks & The Memphis Brothers.
and gospel blues
artist. His music reflects influences drawn from bluegrass
, country
and R&B
. He has released eight 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 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, CFRB radio Toronto, Open Mike with Mike Bullard
, 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
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
He's been active in prison ministry
since 1991. In 1991 Danny Brooks was nominated for the Juno Award
for Most Promising Male Vocalist.
In 2000 he released his first all-Gospel
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
: 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, Bruce Cockburn, The Sadies, Mary Margaret O'Hara, Peter Katz and the Curious, Suzie McNeil, The Cowboy Junkies, Kevin Hearn and Thin Buckle, Blue Rodeo, The Road Hammers, Raine Maida, Chantal Kreviazuk, Hawskley Workman, Great Big Sea, The Trews, Ian Thornley and Danny Brooks and The Rockin' Revelators.
The book is equal parts biographical, inspirational. motivational with a look at the music industry and overcoming addictions. It is a heartwarming story that mixes humour to offset heavy subject matter and shows that the underdog can overcome and become a winner from the most difficult of circumstances. It is Brooks' belief that no matter who you are, what you've done, how far down you've sunk and how bad you may feel about the present, there is absolutely nothing that God and you can't work out together and get back on a winning, happy and peaceful track.
CGMA Covenant Awards
Independent Music Awards
International Songwriting Competition (ISC)
Juno Award
s
Maple Blues Awards
National Association of Rhythm and Blues Dee Jays (NARB)
Shai Awards (formerly the Vibe Awards)
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
musician, singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
and author, living in Milton, Ontario. 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 bluesBlues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
and gospel blues
Gospel blues
Gospel blues is a form of blues-based gospel music that has been around since the inception of blues music, a combination of blues guitar and evangelistic lyrics...
artist. His music reflects influences drawn from bluegrass
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
, country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
and R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
. He has released eight 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
Austin City Limits Music Festival
The Austin City Limits Music Festival is an annual three-day American music festival that takes place in Austin, Texas at the city's central public park, Zilker Park...
, the Distillery Blues Festival and the Beaches International Jazz Festival
Beaches International Jazz Festival
The Beaches International Jazz Festival is a 10-day music festival held each year in the lakeside “Beach” community of Toronto in the month of July. The Festival takes place across a number of venues. Stage concerts are held in several different parks within the area and also along a 2 kilometer...
in Toronto, Ottawa Bluesfest
Ottawa Bluesfest
The Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest is an annual outdoor music festival that takes place each July in downtown Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. While ostensibly focused on blues, the festival has increasingly showcased mainstream pop and rock acts in recent years...
, and the Back to the Blues festival in Chilliwack (near Vancouver, British Columbia). In addition he has appeared on CBC Radio One
CBC Radio One
CBC Radio One is the English language news and information radio network of the publicly-owned Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It is commercial free and offers both local and national programming...
, CBC Radio 2, CFRB radio Toronto, Open Mike with Mike Bullard
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 Wayne Gretzky's restaurant in Toronto, Ontario before CTV...
, and on 100 Huntley Street
100 Huntley Street
100 Huntley Street is a Christian daily talk show and the flagship program of Crossroads Christian Communications based in Burlington, Ontario, Canada. Created in 1976 by Rev. David Mainse, it first aired on June 15, 1977 from its first studios located at 100 Huntley Street in the St...
. 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
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
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
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health is a consortium of mental health clinics at several sites in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its name in French is Centre de toxicomanie et de santé mentale...
He's been active in prison ministry
Prison religion
Prison religion includes the religious beliefs and practices of prison inmates, usually stemming from or including concepts surrounding their imprisonment and accompanying lifestyle...
since 1991. In 1991 Danny Brooks was nominated for the Juno Award
Juno Award
The Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...
for Most Promising Male Vocalist.
In 2000 he released his first all-Gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
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, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
: 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, Bruce Cockburn, The Sadies, Mary Margaret O'Hara, Peter Katz and the Curious, Suzie McNeil, The Cowboy Junkies, Kevin Hearn and Thin Buckle, Blue Rodeo, The Road Hammers, Raine Maida, Chantal Kreviazuk, Hawskley Workman, Great Big Sea, The Trews, Ian Thornley and Danny Brooks and The Rockin' Revelators.
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, review)
- Soulsville: Souled Out 'n Sanctified (HIS House Records, 2004, reviews)
- 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)
Books
- Miracles for Breakfast: How Faith Helped Me Kick My Addictions (John Wiley & SonsJohn Wiley & SonsJohn Wiley & Sons, Inc., also referred to as Wiley, is a global publishing company that specializes in academic publishing and markets its products to professionals and consumers, students and instructors in higher education, and researchers and practitioners in scientific, technical, medical, and...
, 2008)
The book is equal parts biographical, inspirational. motivational with a look at the music industry and overcoming addictions. It is a heartwarming story that mixes humour to offset heavy subject matter and shows that the underdog can overcome and become a winner from the most difficult of circumstances. It is Brooks' belief that no matter who you are, what you've done, how far down you've sunk and how bad you may feel about the present, there is absolutely nothing that God and you can't work out together and get back on a winning, happy and peaceful track.
Collaborations
- guitar and vocals on the NorthernBlues Gospel Allstars' Saved! (NorthernBlues MusicNorthernBlues MusicNorthernBlues Music is a Canadian independent record label, which specializes in blues music. The label was established in 2001, and a number of its artists and albums have since been nominated for and won Blues Music Awards...
, 2002, reviews)
Notable 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)
- Contributing artist on Garth Hudson's "Canadian Celebration of The Band (2010)
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
Covenant Awards
The Covenant Awards are handed out annually by GMA Canada, the Gospel Music Association of Canada . Created in 1974, the association is a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote the growth and ministry of Christian music arts in Canada...
- 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
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 Award
Juno Award
The Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...
s
- 1991 nomineeJuno Awards of 1991The Juno Awards of 1991, representing Canadian music industry achievements of the previous year, were awarded on 3 March 1991 in Vancouver, British Columbia at a ceremony in the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. Paul Shaffer was the host for the ceremonies, which were broadcast on CBC Television.This was...
, Most Promising Male Vocalist - 2003 nomineeJuno Awards of 2003The Juno Awards of 2003 were presented in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada on 6 April 2003. The primary awards ceremony was hosted that evening by Shania Twain at the Corel Centre and televised on CTV.- Ceremony highlights :...
, Contemporary Christian/Gospel Album Of The Year: NorthernBlues Gospel Allstar Chorus, Saved!
Maple Blues Awards
Maple Blues Awards
The Maple Blues Awards are Canada’s blues awards, "honouring the finest in Canadian blues". They are the only comprehensive national best in blues awards program. The program's goal is to promote blues music across Canada, and to recognize outstanding achievement...
- 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