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)
Hoodoo She Do
Lonnie Brooks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
By Lonnie Brooks
Hoodoo She Do (Ronnie Baker Brooks)
She′s a black magic woman
Who got me hooked
Just a sip of her stew
Right then and there
She cast her spell
She said, "You can't leave me"
Like pulling away from hell
I′m stuck on her
Like crazy glue
Got me doin' what you want me to
Cause of that hoodoo that she do
I think that I need
A black cat bone
Maybe that old woman
Might leave me alone
She's got me like a zombie
Who lost his soul
She uses her mojo
To keep me under control
I′m stuck on her
Like crazy glue
Got me doin′ what you want me to
Cause of that hoodoo that she do
I went back to Louisiana
To see that two headed man
He give me a stronger root this time
So I can stay in command
He said this type only works
If you believe that it's true
Hooked on that woman
Cause of that hoodoo that she do
To reverse this curse
Would sure be nice
I need a gypsy woman
To give me advice
I thought this voodoo doll
Was a joke
But she got the last laugh
With every poke
I′m stuck on her
Like crazy glue
Got me doin' what you want me to
Cause of that hoodoo that she do
The song "Hoodoo She Do" by Lonnie Brooks is a blues song that talks about a woman who has cast a spell on the singer, making him completely infatuated with her. The lyrics describe the singer's obsession with this woman and his belief that she has used black magic, as he references the terms "hoodoo" and "mojo". He feels as though he is under her spell and is unable to resist her control. The singer even goes as far as considering using his own voodoo doll against her so that he can reverse the curse that he believes she has put on him.
The lyrics of the song convey the idea that love can be overwhelming and can feel like magic at times. The use of terms like 'hoodoo' and 'mojo' connect with African-American spiritual practices and traditional beliefs. It is a powerful piece, having a sense of urgency, desperation, and a strong rhythm brought by the electric guitar and vocals. The song also tells of a man desperate for a way out, yet can’t help but submit to the woman's power. In summary, the song “Hoodoo She Do” is a story of a man in love who feels like he is under a spell and is torn between his love for a woman and wanting to break free from her hold.
Line by Line Meaning
She's a black magic woman
The woman he is referring to has the ability to use dark magic.
Who got me hooked
The singer has become obsessed with the woman's power over him.
Just a sip of her stew
Is all it took
The singer was easily enchanted by the woman's cooking.
Right then and there
She cast her spell
The woman was able to bewitch the artist from their very first encounter.
She said, "You can't leave me"
Like pulling away from hell
The woman's hold over him is so strong, it feels like trying to escape from a place of eternal damnation.
I'm stuck on her
Like crazy glue
The singer cannot escape the woman's spell and is entirely under her control.
Got me doin' what you want me to
Cause of that hoodoo that she do
The woman's dark magic has complete control over the singer, making him do whatever she wants.
I think that I need
A black cat bone
The artist believes that possessing a black cat bone will counteract the woman's spell.
Maybe that old woman
Might leave me alone
He hopes this will be enough to break free from her grasp.
She's got me like a zombie
Who lost his soul
The artist is devoid of free will and is bound to her command, just like a zombie servant.
She uses her mojo
To keep me under control
The woman uses her black magic to maintain power over the singer.
I went back to Louisiana
To see that two headed man
He give me a stronger root this time
So I can stay in command
The artist sought out a powerful source of magic to help him overcome the woman's hold on him.
He said this type only works
If you believe that it's true
The source of the powerful root warns that the singer's own belief in defeating the woman's magic is crucial.
Hooked on that woman
Cause of that hoodoo that she do
The singer's addiction to the woman's magic is too strong to overcome, even with root magic.
To reverse this curse
Would sure be nice
The singer is desperate to break free from the woman's magic.
I need a gypsy woman
To give me advice
He believes that a gypsy woman will have the knowledge to reverse the spell.
I thought this voodoo doll
Was a joke
But she got the last laugh
With every poke
The artist believed a voodoo doll would be enough to defend against the dark magic, only to realize its limitations.
Contributed by Christopher G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
twosidedcircle
As soon as I heard this , I learned it , had my band learn it and it was put in the set list , last quarter home run , go Lonnie B! Love ya !!
Zos Kia
Lonnie is a master /class/ Genius. This track is the dogs nuts...WOOF WOOF.....
Jimi G
Great Song! Anybody have the lyrics/chords transcribed? If you do please send or post them. Thanks.
Jammin John Mascaro
R.I.P. Ronnie Brooks. Sadly, he died in 2017. We saw him in Miami almost 20 years ago, and his guitar-slinger son Ronnie Baker Brooks at a Ft. Lauderdale Blues Fest. about 7 or 8 years ago.
KG Hall Captures
Mannn I've been looking everywhere for this song and couldn't find it🍻