"Stay true to yourself and the music. For me...the Blues is a Healer! The Blues have gotten me through some hard times, and it has brought me some joy too. I enjoy seeing people have a good time... if I can do that while playing music... it's double the pleasure for me!"

Ronnie Baker Brooks: Blues In His DNA

On Friday, October 11, 2024, Alligator Records will release Blues In My DNA, the jaw-dropping new album from award-winning blues rock guitarist, songwriter and vocalist Ronnie Baker Brooks. With Blues In My DNA, Ronnie delivers an up-to-the-minute, organic masterpiece. The album, the fifth of his career and first for Alligator, is firmly rooted in the blues with Ronnie incorporating his own brand of rock, funk and soul to the mix. Blues In My DNA effortlessly moves from funkified rockers to deep Memphis soul to epic, crowd-pleasing, guitar-driven workouts. Produced by famed studio wizard Jim Gaines, Blues In My DNA is a career-defining statement from Baker Brooks, with each of the 11 original songs its own chapter in his ever-evolving story. For Ronnie -- son of legendary multiple GRAMMY Award nominee, Blues Hall Of Famer, and longtime Alligator Records recording star Lonnie Brooks -- the process of writing songs for Blues In My DNA was as fun and exciting as playing live.              (Ronnie Baker Brooks / Photo by Paul Natkin)

Ronnie Baker Brooks was born in 1967 in Chicago. He received his first guitar from his famous father at age nine and learned the instrument as he got older, sharing his time between playing basketball and focusing on his music. After high school, he joined his father’s band – as a roadie. He earned his way slowly up the ladder, listening, watching and learning. Lonnie eventually allowed Ronnie to play bass with the band before bringing him on as his full-time second guitarist. Ronnie made his recording debut on Lonnie’s Live From Chicago: Bayou Lightning Strikes album in 1988. In 1991, he hit the road as part of The Alligator Records 20th Anniversary Tour band, backing Lonnie, Elvin Bishop, and Katie Webster. Each night he'd join them, along with Koko Taylor and Lil' Ed Williams, for unforgettable blues jams. At one show, Koko Taylor pulled him aside as he was loading the gear into the van and told him, “You learn from your daddy everything you can. And one day, it’ll be up to you to carry the blues forward.”

Interview by Michael Limnios

Special Thanks: Ronnie Baker Brooks & Marc Lipkin (Alligator Records)

How has the Blues People influenced your views of the world? What does the blues mean to you?

I've been blessed to grow up around some great Blues artist...and a lot of them have influenced my life and career tremendously. To me, the Blues is an emotion that can be expressed in the music... it can also Heal you!

How do you describe your sound, music philosophy and songbook? What's the balance in music between technique and soul?

Each record I do, I try to build a platform to grow musically, either through my guitar playing, singing, writing and finding a way to express myself through the music that I hadn't done before.  I try to keep the music authentic and fresh to me. The late great Junior Wells once told me, "You have to feel the music you're playing in order to make the audience feel it too."

So I've learned some vocabulary musically on the guitar to express what I'm feeling.

"I've been blessed to grow up around some great Blues artist...and a lot of them have influenced my life and career tremendously. To me, the Blues is an emotion that can be expressed in the music... it can also Heal you! (Ronnie Baker Brooks / Photo by Paul Natkin)

You’ve your debut release with Alligator Records. How did that relationship come about? Do you have any interesting stories about the making of “Blues In My DNA”?

Simply... because of my father Lonnie Brooks! He recorded several records with Alligator and allowed me to play rhythm and lead guitar.... while also allowing me write and sing on some of those records. I've known Bruce Iglauer (Alligator Records founder) since I was around 10 years old, so I grew up musically as far as recording because of that platform.

When I started my solo career, I recorded 3 albums and a live DVD independently on my own Watchdog Records label. During the pandemic, my manager John Boncimino facilitated a meeting with Bruce and I about doing a record with Alligator... after several meetings... it felt like going home, then I signed a deal.

While recording the new album "Blues In My DNA" ...it was such an honor to work with legendary producer Jim Gaines! I met Jim in 1993 when we worked together on my father's album "Roadhouse Rules" on Alligator Records so it was great to reconnect again in the studio!

Why do you think that Brooks music legacy continues to generate such a devoted following?

My brother Wayne Baker Brooks and I.....both learned from our dad about the music and life! Our father spent a lot of time teaching us professionalism, work ethics and respect. Lonnie had a natural vibe about him that people gravitated to... so did all of us in the family...and we lived with him! I hope some of that has rubbed off on us too.

What moment changed your life the most? What´s been the highlights in your life and career so far?

Looking back now that my parents have passed...I've realize even more now...that I've been very blessed to have had Lonnie Brooks (Lee Baker Jr.) and Jeannine Baker as my parents. Being able to travel the world playing music with my father was an absolute honor! Our mother and father supported all of us in our own individual careers ... that is truly an amazing highlight to me.

"In my opinion...the Blues is the root of a lot of American music...I can feel the Blues in different genres of music from all over the world too. I believe it has inspired and evolved to create different genres of music...so it's everywhere. We all have to nurture the music and remember to respect where it came from...allow it to grow because it will continue inspire something new." (Ronnie Baker Brooks with the late great bluesman Lonnie Brooks and his band, Chicago IL 1987 / Photo by Peter Amft)

What do you miss most nowadays from the blues of the past? What are your hopes and fears for the future of?

I'm proud to have been raised around some of the best in the Blues...a lot of them have since passed away. I miss all of them... because they've been so important to me and my growth, ...so there's an emptiness.

The energy growing up in Chicago full of Blues greats and traveling the world witnessing many other Blues artists in their prime...was an impactful experience for me. So it's bittersweet...because we have some younger artists coming up that are exciting...it's part of the evolution of the music. I just hope that I can bring some of my experiences from the music to inspire someone just like I've been.

What are some of the most important lessons you have learned from your experience in the music paths?

Stay true to yourself and the music. For me...the Blues is a Healer!

The Blues have gotten me through some hard times, and it has brought me some joy too.

I enjoy seeing people have a good time... if I can do that while playing music... it's double the pleasure for me!

Why is it important to we preserve and spread the blues? What is the role of Black American Music in today’s society?

In my opinion...the Blues is the root of a lot of American music...I can feel the Blues in different genres of music from all over the world too. I believe it has inspired and evolved to create different genres of music...so it's everywhere. We all have to nurture the music and remember to respect where it came from...allow it to grow because it will continue inspire something new.

Ronnie Baker Brooks - Home

(Ronnie Baker Brooks / Photo by Paul Natkin)