During the middle and later years of the 1940s, African American popular music evolved from swing jazz and boogie-woogie styles toward a rhythm and blues sound that would influence the emergence of rock and roll. Hadda Brooks played a notable part in this evolution as a singer and pianist, even though her contributions are seldom recalled in modern times. Her vocal approach drew from the torch song tradition of the big band period, while her piano playing in the boogie-woogie vein anticipated the energetic jump blues and subsequent R&B developments. Paradoxically, the refined singing and sophisticated musical settings that contributed to her temporary popularity hindered her ability to adapt when more aggressive rhythm and blues styles, followed by the advent of early rock and roll, took over the market in the initial years of the 1950s.
A fortuitous encounter with jukebox operator Jules Bihari, who sought material in the boogie-woogie vein, secured Brooks a contract with his label. Operating out of Los Angeles, Jules and his brother Joe would rise to prominence in the nascent R&B scene through their Modern imprint, releasing recordings by B.B. King, John Lee Hooker, Etta James, Jesse Belvin, among other notable performers. Although she favored slower ballads over uptempo boogie-woogie numbers, Brooks developed her technique by studying the works of Pete Johnson, Albert Ammons, and Meade "Lux" Lewis. The powerful "Swingin' the Boogie" marked her debut release and achieved notable regional success in 1945. Joe Bihari later informed writer Arnold Shaw that this particular single played a key role in establishing the Bihari brothers within the recording industry.
Brooks initially focused on instrumental tracks, yet began incorporating vocals into her performances starting in 1946. She enjoyed reasonable achievement with Modern during the closing years of the decade, charting in the R&B Top Ten via "Out of the Blue" as well as her signature tune "That's My Desire," which Frankie Laine later interpreted for substantial mainstream appeal. This recording success opened doors to cinematic appearances, including a memorable sequence in In a Lonely Place alongside Humphrey Bogart.
In 1950, Brooks departed Modern temporarily for a short-lived association with the prominent London label, which proved unfruitful. Similar lack of results accompanied her return to Modern in the early 1950s and a subsequent period at OKeh before she stepped back from studio work to concentrate on live performances in nightclubs. Throughout much of the 1960s, she resided in Australia and even presented her own television program there. Renewed attention came in the mid-1990s through her enshrinement in the Rhythm & Blues Foundation Hall of Fame and the use of her version of "Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere" within the motion picture The Crossing Guard. Early in 1996 saw the issuance of her fresh recording Time Was When on the Point Blank imprint.
