Frankie & Johnny Music Hour

Join the Unstoppable Frankie Picasso and guest ‘co- host’  Wendy Allyn this Monday, February 15th at 8:00 pm eastern for The Frankie and Johnny Music Hour , www.blogtalkradio.com/frankie–johnny when our guest will be the soulsville man himself, Mr. Danny Brooks. 

From the time he was 7 years old, Canadian born Danny Middlebrook knew he was going to be a musician and not just any musician. He was going to be famous like his mother’s favorite singer  Hank Williams and  Dj’s with colourful names like Howlin “Wolf Man”  Jack  would be announcing his name. The only problem was HOW  could this 7 year old boy make that happen. Coming from a devout Christian home, Danny was made to read the Bible and  memorize scripture every day. He remembered a verse that said ” As a man thinketh, so he is”, and he knew it would come to pass. This would become an important principle in Danny’s life for years to come.

When Danny was in Grade 3, he saw 3 kids play Guitar at his school and this changed his life. To support his growing passion, his mother  bought him a $9.00 ukuele which Danny picked up so fast that by that Christmas, his parent exchanged that for had a new guitar and he was off to the races as they say. 

 Danny’s older brother Greg helped define his taste for blues, funk, gospel and soul music with records he drove to Buffalo to buy, r & b, soul music that couldn’t be bought  in Toronto back then. When Danny heard the sounds of Taj Mahal, Solomon Burke, Joe Tex, and Bobby Blue Bland, he knew he was going to play the blues, unfortunately he would have to pay his dues first, and that opportunity came soon enough.

At the tender age of 15, Danny’s father gave him a choice. Either give up his budding fascination with the devil’s music, or get out of the house.

Danny chose to  run off with the devil and it was a long time before he stopped running.  He soaked up all the inspiration he could by watching touring American blues legends like Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf and John Lee Hooker play a theater in his native Toronto, then hit the road to play — and live — his own blues.

Danny’s voice is a raspy gravelly growl and  the perfect instrument for  delivering the messages he writes within his songs. Once when he had the privilege and honor to perform with Brownie McGhee, Danny says that as Brownie was walking off stage he said , ’son fo’ a white boy, you sho’ nuff gotta suntan on the inside’.

Hard living and the music industry took its toll on his soul. Here was a good man with a heart of gold that was living some really BAD lifestyle  choices. Burned out on speed, coke, acid, marijauna, and hard booze, by the mid-’80s, Danny took stock of his life, and he knew he wasn’t going to last long in this world. With the love and support of a good woman, he checked into rehab, and reemerged a changed man.

These days, his music is still as rockin’ and soulful as ever, ( Danny has written well over 500 songs), he now uses his potent voice and songwriting chops in the service of contemporary gospel. His records, including It’s a Southern Thing, Soulsville: Souled Out ’n Sanctified, Rock This House and No Easy Way Out, are testament to the healing power of faith and rock ’n’ roll, as is his recently published book, Miracle for Breakfast .

No Easy Way Out, that was engineered and produced by legendary Capricorn producer Johnny Sandlin, and backed by the most renowned musicians in Muscle Shoals, David Hood on bass, Spooner Oldham and Kevin McKendrie on keyboards, Scott Boyer, James Pennebaker, and Kelvin Holly on a multitude of guitars, Bill Stewart and Roger Hawkins on drums, and Bonnie Bramlett.  

Dannys Albums include:

If you would like to learn more about Danny I highly recommend his autobiography  Miracles for Breakfast- How Faith Helped Me Heal My Addictions