Lonnie Brooks

Classic showman Lonnie Brooks has been performing his mean blues guitar since the late 1950s. With a lean, gritty guitar sound that stings you down to the bone, Brooks (occasionally known as 'Guitar Junior') hits to the core of your emotions, effortlessly melting different blues styles together. His guitar playing, influenced by Long John Hunter and B.B. King, takes short bends to their limits, with a slightly dirty, singing sound reminiscent of Albert King. Brooks' vocals waver with a sustaining vibrato that contains all of the sweetness of B.B. King, perfectly rendering his tale-telling songs. Brooks started out playing Zydeco and Swamp Blues with Clifton Chenier, then went on to record with blues greats such as Sam Cooke, Koko Taylor, Hubert Sumlin and Jimmy Reed. His synthesis of Soul, Funk, Chicago and Swamp Blues provides a modern edge to his songwriting, which includes the classics "In the Dark" and the father-in-law fearing "Voodoo Daddy."