The musicologist Robert Palmer, writing in Rolling Stone, stated, "His music is witty, soulful and ferociously energetic, brimming with novel harmonic turnarounds, committed vocals and simply astonishing guitar work." Jon Pareles, a music critic for the New York Times, wrote, "He sings in a rowdy baritone, sliding and rasping in songs that celebrate lust, fulfilled and unfulfilled; his guitar solos are pointed and unhurried, with a tone that slices cleanly across the beat. Wearing a cowboy hat, he looks like the embodiment of a good-time bluesman."
Brooks was born in Dubuisson, St. Landry Parish, Louisiana. He learned to play blues from his banjo-picking grandfather but did not think about a career in music until he moved to Port Arthur, Texas, in the early 1950s. There he heard live performances by Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, T-Bone Walker, B.B. King, Long John Hunter and others and began to think about making money from music. Clifton Chenier heard Brooks strumming his guitar on his front porch in Port Arthur and offered him a job in his touring band.
Embarking on a solo career, he began calling himself Guitar Jr. and signed with the Goldband label, based in Lake Charles, Louisiana. His singles for the label included the regional hit "Family Rules", which remains a favorite of the swamp pop idiom in southern Louisiana and southeast Texas. Other Goldband singles included "Made in the Shade" and "The Crawl" (both of which were later recorded by the Fabulous Thunderbirds).
In 1960, he moved to Chicago, Illinois, where he adopted the stage name Lonnie Brooks (Luther Johnson was already using the name Guitar Junior there). Brooks found regular work in clubs on the West Side of Chicago, in nearby Gary and East Chicago, Indiana, and occasionally in the Rush Street entertainment area on Chicago's North Side. He recorded numerous singles for various labels, including Chess, Chirrup, Mercury, Midas and USA Records, receiving some local radio airplay. He also supported other artists on record and live, including Jimmy Reed. In 1961 he played guitar on the double album Jimmy Reed at Carnegie Hall.
In 1969, he recorded his first album, Broke an’ Hungry, for Capitol Records. It was produced by Wayne Shuler, son of Eddie Shuler, who had founded Goldband Records in Louisiana.
In 1974, Brooks participated in a multi-artist tour of Europe and recorded an album, Sweet Home Chicago, for the French label Black & Blue. When he returned to Chicago, he began playing regularly at Pepper’s Hideout on the South Side. There he attracted the attention of Bruce Iglauer, head of the fledgling Alligator Records, who had previously seen him at the Avenue Lounge on the city’s West Side.
In 1978, Iglauer included four of Brooks’s songs (including three originals) in the anthology series Living Chicago Blues, released by Alligator. He was signed to the label, which released his album Bayou Lightning the following year. The album won the Grand Prix du Disque Award from the 1980 Montreux Jazz Festival. While in Montreux, Brooks befriended the country music star Roy Clark, who arranged for him to appear on the country music television program Hee Haw.
Since that time, Brooks has recorded exclusively for Alligator, releasing seven albums in his own name and contributing to shared recordings and compilation appearances. His style, sometimes described as "voodoo blues", includes elements of Chicago blues, Louisiana blues, swamp pop and rhythm and blues. Other labels have issued pre-1978 recordings by Brooks and compilations of his singles.
Following the release of Bayou Lightning, Brooks began touring in the U.S. and also returned to Europe. A 1982 trip to Germany resulted in an hour-long live performance on German television. His next album, Hot Shot, was released in 1983. His album Wound Up Tight, released in 1986, featured his most famous fan, Johnny Winter, on guitar. Rolling Stone took notice of the album, running a six-page feature on Brooks. In 1987, BBC Radio broadcast an hour-long live performance by him.
By this time, his teenage son Ronnie Baker Brooks was touring with the band. He made his recording debut on his father's album Live from Chicago—Bayou Lightning Strikes.
Brooks’s 1991 release, Satisfaction Guaranteed, received much coverage in the press, including features and articles in the Washington Post, the Village Voice, the Chicago Tribune, the Los Angeles Times, Guitar World, Living Blues, Blues Revue, and other publications.
Brooks went on a national concert tour with B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Koko Taylor, Junior Wells and Eric Johnson in the summer of 1993. Eric Clapton, performing in Chicago as part of his "From the Cradle" tour, honored Brooks by inviting the bluesman on stage for an impromptu jam at the blues club Buddy Guy's Legends.
In 1996, Brooks released Roadhouse Rules. The album was produced in Memphis by Jim Gaines, who also produced Luther Allison, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Santana. Ronnie Baker Brooks also played on this album. With fellow Gulf Coast blues veterans Long John Hunter and Phillip Walker (both of whom he had known and played with in the 1950s in Port Arthur), Brooks released Lone Star Shootout in 1999.
Brooks continues to tour in the U.S. and Europe. His sons, Ronnie Baker Brooks and Wayne Baker Brooks, are also full-time blues entertainers, fronting their own bands and touring extensively in the U.S. and abroad. Wayne Baker Brooks also plays in his father's band. The Brookses are frequent guest performers at each other's shows and have booked appearances as the Brooks Family.
Besides his live and recorded performances, Brooks appeared in the films Blues Brothers 2000 and The Express and in two UK television commercials for Heineken beer. His song "Eyeballin'" was used in the film Forever LuLu. "Got Lucky Last Night", featuring Johnny Winter, was used in the film Masters of Menace. Brooks also co-authored the book Blues for Dummies, with Wayne Baker Brooks and the music historian, guitarist, and songwriter Cub Koda.
Brooks was an influence on the soul artist Reggie Sears.
Discography
Lone Star Shootout, with Long John Hunter and Phillip Walker (Alligator, 1999)
Deluxe Edition (Alligator, 1997)
Roadhouse Rules (Alligator, 1996)
Let’s Talk It Over (1977 sessions released by Delmark, 1993)
Satisfaction Guaranteed (Alligator, 1991)
Live from Chicago: Bayou Lightning Strikes (Alligator, 1988)
Wound Up Tight (Alligator, 1986)
Live at Pepper’s (Black Magic, 1985; reissued by Black Top, 1996)
The Crawl, as Guitar Jr. (Goldband singles reissued by Charly, 1984)
Hot Shot (Alligator, 1983)
Turn On the Night (Alligator, 1981)
Blues Deluxe (Alligator/WXRT, 1980)
Bayou Lightning (Alligator, 1979)
Living Chicago Blues, vol. 3 (Alligator, 1978)
Sweet Home Chicago (Black & Blue, 1975; reissued by Evidence Records, 1994)
Broke an' Hungry, as Guitar Jr. (Capitol, 1969)
Don't Take Advantage of Me
Lonnie Brooks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't take advantage of me 'cause I'm good to you
I'm just another man hooked on you
Tell me baby what the hell you're gonna do
I wanna know
I wanna know
Yeah, uh-huh
Don't think I'm weak 'cause I'm sweet to you
Don't think I'm weak 'cause I'm sweet to you
Another man, another time
I'll wipe that stuff right out of your mind
I will
Yes I will
Yeah!
Yeah, don't take advantage of me
Wooo, I wanna know
Don't think I'm crazy 'cause I do what I do
Don't think I'm crazy 'cause I do what I do
It's another man, another place
I'll throw that mess right about in your face
I will
Yes I will
Woah baby!
Don't take advantage of me 'cause I'm good to you
Don't take advantage of me 'cause I'm good to you
Another man hooked on you
Tell me baby what the hell you're gonna do
I wanna know
I wanna know
Oh yeah
Oh yeah
Wow!
Lonnie Brooks's song "Don't Take Advantage of Me" is an upbeat and catchy tune that explores the theme of being taken for granted in a relationship. The lyrics suggest that the singer is aware of the fact that they are being taken advantage of but are still unable to resist the pull of their partner. The refrain, "Don't take advantage of me 'cause I'm good to you," is repeated throughout the song, underscoring the singer's frustration and inability to break free from the cycle of being used.
The verses in the song describe the singer's determination to stand up for themselves and not be seen as weak or crazy. They declare that they will not be fooled by their partner's manipulative ways and that they are willing to confront the situation head-on. In the line, "I'll wipe that stuff right out of your mind," the singer is suggesting that they are not afraid to call out their partner's bad behavior and demand to be treated with respect.
The song's chorus, "I wanna know," is an expression of the singer's desire for clarity and honesty in their relationship. They want to know where they stand with their partner and whether they are in it for the long haul or just being used for temporary gratification. The song's overall message is a warning to their partner that they should be careful not to take advantage of their kindness and love, as the singer is ready to fight back and move on if necessary.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't take advantage of me 'cause I'm good to you
I'm warning you not to misuse my kindness towards you
I'm just another man hooked on you
I'm not the only one who is attracted to you
Tell me baby what the hell you're gonna do
I want to know what your intention towards me is
Don't think I'm weak 'cause I'm sweet to you
Being nice to you doesn't mean I'm vulnerable or powerless
Another man, another time
I'll wipe that stuff right out of your mind
If you keep playing with me, I'll make sure you forget about those other men
Yeah, don't take advantage of me
Wooo, I wanna know
I'm reiterating my warning and emphasizing that I want to know where this is going
Don't think I'm crazy 'cause I do what I do
Don't judge me for my actions, they are justified
It's another man, another place
I'll throw that mess right about in your face
If you try to play me, I'll make sure to expose you to everyone else
Another man hooked on you
Tell me baby what the hell you're gonna do
I'm emphasizing the fact that you have other men interested in you and asking for your intentions towards me
Contributed by Violet P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.