Wayne Baker Brooks 
Chicago Blues Fest 2011 Reviews
Chicago Tribune
Blues Revue Mag

Media Mentions

Blogs (About Something's Going Down)

Tamara Conniff's Blog (former editor-in-chief & associate publisher of Billboard) thecomet.com shows their love for "Something's Going Down"

http://twista-movie.com/blog/?p=423

http://wxrt.radio.com/2011/02/14/world-radio-premier-tonight-on-blues-breakers/

http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.14941/title.twista-glc-join-forces-on-guitarists-new-single

http://www.musicblogging.net/?p=71681

http://www.fakeshoredrive.com/2011/05/wayne-baker-brooks-feat-twista-x-glc-somethings-going-down.html













News

WBB Band on Windy City Live


                REDEEM YOUR FREE MUSIC HERE       

                             -----> REDEEM <-----
                          Courtesy of Blues Island Records
                                and 
ABC's "Windy City Live"

After you click the link type in FREEMUSIC you will get "Mystery" the Full Album plus the 2 new singles "Something's Going Down" and "Changeling" all for FREE



PRESS RELEASES



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 2011


Wayne Baker Brooks set to release his first collaboration with Tom Hambridge: “Changeling”


Chicago, IL - “Changeling” written and produced by Grammy® Award-Winning, FOUR-Time Grammy®- Nominated, ASCAP Award Winning Producer, Songwriter & Drummer Tom Hambridge marks Wayne’s revisit to his debut style: mainstream blues rock.


The landmark single was recorded at the legendary Blackbird Studios in Nashville, TN. Asked what made him consider recording a song written and produced by someone else for the first time in his career Wayne answers: “When I met Tom for the first time I didn’t realize it was the Tom Hambridge that catapulted so many careers. I always really liked Tom’s style of writing and producing. After talking for a while I really liked his vibe. When we finally introduced ourselves I was blown away.”

“Changeling” is the first of 3 songs produced by Hambridge to appear on Wayne’s upcoming album release later this year. “Changeling” also marks Wayne’s first time recording a song that was not written by him; Wayne comments: “When I checked out the song I said, yeah – I can do this. I love the vibe, I know someone exactly like that; When I write my songs it’s about real things and about my life experiences, I thought immediately I can sing this.”


Bios:

WAYNE BAKER BROOKS: Guitarist, Vocalist, Composer, Producer, Author Meet the youngest son of blues great Lonnie Brooks ... Wayne joined his father's band at the end of the 80’s and worked his way up from roadie to guitarist to bandleader. Additionally, in 1997, he formed the Wayne Baker Brooks Band. In 1998 Wayne Baker Brooks spear-headed & co-wrote “Blues for Dummies” with his father and Cub Koda, earning his first Real Blues magazine award (Keeping the Blues Alive). Wayne released his solo debut “MYSTERY” in 2004, a contemporary blues album that also draws on rock, soul, funk, and hip-hop. Allmusic.com rated the album with 4 stars and praises: “...Mystery is not just a strong debut, it's a fully formed new vision that updates the sound of the blues without falling into the same tired blues-rock clichés...”


TOM HAMBRIDGE: Grammy-winning producer Tom Hambridge is known worldwide as one of the hardest working and well-regarded “first call” musicians in the business. His professional credits include touring, producing, songwriting and recording with: Chuck Berry, Buddy Guy, Johnny Winter, Susan Tedeschi, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Hank Williams Jr., Delbert McClinton, Bo Diddley, BB King, Meat Loaf, NRBQ, George Thorogood, Billy Ray Cyrus, Boston, Shemekia Copeland, Gretchen Wilson, Rodney Atkins, Van Zant and many more. He recently received a Grammy for Producing Buddy Guy's album 'Living Proof', which won the Best Contemporary Blues Album of the year Award at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards. Also a very active solo artist, Tom has released five critically acclaimed CD’s and has been featured as guest vocalist on the Disney soundtracks “Cars” and “Ratatouille”.


For more information visit:

www.waynebakerbrooks.com or www.bluesislandrecords.com

For inquiries and interviews, contact: Blues Island Records at (773) 336-2589 and Lynn Orman at (847) 452-6469. For log on credentials to the media tab of www.waynebakerbrooks.com please send an email to: publicity@bluesislandrecords.com.


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
 February 2011


"
Something's Going Down"
You wanted a change, you wanted something different. Well here it is: 

Wayne Baker Brooks has gathered some of the biggest names and talent in Chicago music for his revolutionary new single Something's Going Down. 

The genre-bending track includes artists Twista (Perfect Storm, Adrenaline RushKamikaze), GLC (Love, Life, & Loyalty Grammy Recipient for Kanye tracks "Spaceship" and "Drive Slow"), & Sugar Blue (Rolling Stones "Miss You") more......


Wayne Baker Brooks Breaking New Ground With “Something’s Going Down,” 


Blues/rocker guitarist extraordinaire Wayne Baker Brooks has gathered some of the biggest names and talent in Chicago music for his revolutionary new single, “Something’s Going Down.” The genre-bending track features artists Twista (Perfect Storm, Adrenaline Rush, Kamikaze), GLC (Love, Life, & Loyalty, Grammy recipient for Kanye West tracks “Spaceship’’ and “Drive Slow’’), and Sugar Blue (Rolling Stones’ “Miss You’’).


Brooks, is transforming both modern music and the Blues. “So much of what’s out there sounds the same,’’ says Brooks. “I wanted to create something different and something undeniable with my music.” The result is a unique fusion of heavy Chicago Blues, Blues Rock, Soul and Rap/Hip-Hop that could be dubbed its own cultural movement.



Brooks knew that there was no better place to start that movement than in his hometown of Chicago, the birthplace of the Blues. Using only Chicago natives, he put together some of the biggest talent in the business to create a song that showcases the many different sounds of the iconic musical city.

Brooks says he’s been working on the concept behind the song for at least 10 years, dating back to when he recorded the song, “Nu Kinda Blues,’’ on  the album Mystery, which featured Blues, Hip-Hop and House music. “I first experimented with the concept back in 2001 while I was in the studio during the recording sessions for Mystery.’’

The concept of fusing real Chicago Blues with Rap/Hip-Hop had been brewing in his head for a few years. He met Eve on the set of the movie, “Barber Shop.’’ She offered to get involved in the project, but a fateful meeting with Aerosmith, Kid Rock and Run-DMC on September 14th at the Alpine Valley Music Theatre in 2002 changed everything. “Jam Master Jay took the idea seriously,” says Brooks. “He liked the idea so much he wanted me to come to New York to work on it. That’s when I knew I was onto something big.”

But three weeks before the two planned to hook up, Jam Master Jay was shot and killed. “I couldn't believe someone would do that to the nicest guy in the world. It really killed my spirit at that moment. He really understood what I was trying to do -- and then he was gone.’’

It wasn’t until 2007 at an All-Star Blues Bash at Chicago’s House of Blues – a concert Brooks put together featuring some of the biggest names in the business -- where he discovered just the right people to make it happen. During an impromptu jam session, the then up-and-coming rapper GLC took the microphone and began to put lyrics over Brooks’ guitar riffs. The two musicians jamming on stage was nothing short of serendipitous and created just the sound Brooks had been searching for all those years.



The lyrics to “Something's Going Down’’ came just as suddenly. While watching Barack Obama campaign for president, Brooks suddenly felt overcome with pride and enthusiasm.  “Obama would just get so worked up, you could feel it. I remember just blurting out the lyrics, and I knew I had to write them down,” Brooks says.

The chorus was born: “Something’s going down in the city/Something’s going down in this town/Better get ready for the real nitty gritty/This is how the Chi gets down.” (This last line is an ode to all the greatest of the greatest who hailed from Chicago, Brooks says.)



Brooks sees the song as the start of something radically different in the music business, something that expands the range of Rap/Hip Hop and gives a jolt of fresh air to the Blues, which needs to appeal to younger audiences if it’s going to survive.

Brooks is also reaching out to other well-known rappers to get them involved in the ground-breaking project. "I have a song for Lil' Wayne, Akon, Mos' Def, Common, & Snoop Dog" says, Brooks. "I am also hoping they will hear this song and want to contact me themselves."


Brooks is in the early stages of booking a tour, and he is in talks to create a movie about the movement.

 

For more information, or to purchase a copy, go to

www.BluesIslandRecords.com, www.waynebakerbrooks.com


Bios

Twista, a Chicago native, has been rapping since he was 12 years old. Since his debut album Running Off At Da’ Mouth in 1991, Twista has been tearing up the charts worldwide. The Guinness Book of World Records has clocked Twista as the faster rapper alive.




GLC rose to stardom after a guest appearance on the song “Spaceship” from Kanye West’s Grammy-winning album, The College Dropout. GLC is one third of the Chicago rap group, The Go Getters, along with Kanye West and Really Doe. Look for his debut album Love, Life and Loyalty.




Wayne Baker Brooks, son of the legendary bluesman Lonnie Brooks, has been steeped in the blues all his life. Although he was raised by his famous father, he is self-taught and has been blazing his own musical trail. In 1998, he co-authored the book, Blues For Dummies with his father, rocker Cub Koda and Dan Aykroyd. In 2003 Brooks started his own label, Blues Island Records. His first release was the four-star "Mystery."


For inquiries and interviews, contact:  Blues Island Records at (773) 336-2589, publicity@bluesislandrecords.com, and Lynn Orman at (847) 452-6469.


To learn more about Wayne Baker Brooks go to:



www.waynebakerbrooks.com

www.myspace.com/waynebakerbrooksmusic


www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fopw0mLFPDk

PDF Version