Wayne Baker Brooks

Wayne Baker Brooks entered the world as the offspring of Chicago blues icon Lonnie Brooks, yet he still earned his place through steady effort on the road. He first signed on with his father’s ensemble in 1988 as a roadie before taking up guitar duties two years later. By 1997 he had launched the Wayne Baker Brooks Band even while maintaining his ongoing collaborations with Lonnie and his guitar-playing sibling Ronnie Baker Brooks.

During 1998 he appeared on screen in Blues Brothers 2000 and joined his father and Cub Koda to co-author Blues for Dummies, an achievement that brought him his initial Real Blues magazine honor, Keeping the Blues Alive. Subsequent film appearances followed in Barbershop and Barbershop 2, and he received an invitation to perform at the 2003 Major League Baseball All-Star Game held in Chicago.

That same year he founded his independent imprint Blues Island, which issued his first solo recording, Mystery, in 2004. The album blended contemporary blues with elements of soul, funk, and a touch of hip-hop. The twelve months proved especially active: he was interviewed twice on The House of Blues Radio Hour alongside Dan Aykroyd, collected five additional Real Blues magazine awards that encompassed Best Chicago Blues Tune, Best Chicago Blues Album in the Modern category, and Best New Talent, and shared the headlining slot at the Chicago Blues Festival with his father and brother. In 2005 the entire Brooks family was presented with a lifetime achievement award by the Poconos Blues Festival. Wayne Baker Brooks still performs regularly alongside his father while leading the Wayne Baker Brooks Band.