Gwendolyn Dianne Brooks (January 3, 1939 – April 29, 2005), was an American

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

, r&b and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

singer. With the Three Playmates, Brooks recorded several songs in 1957. She moved to

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

shortly thereafter. Her part in Canadian soul music history began when the group Diane Brooks, Eric Mercury and the Soul Searchers was formed. As a solo singer, she recorded two albums and several singles of her own. Her biggest solo hit was " Walkin' on My Mind" in 1969. She was also a prolific session singer. As a vocalist, she provided backing vocals on albums by a multitude of artists that include

Anne Murray Morna Anne Murray (born June 20, 1945) is a retired Canadian country, pop and adult contemporary music singer who has sold over 55 million album copies worldwide during her over 40-year career. Murray has won four Grammys including the Grammy ...

Gino Vannelli Gino Vannelli (born June 16, 1952) is a Canadian rock singer and songwriter who had several hit songs in the 1970s and 1980s. His best-known singles include " People Gotta Move" (1974), " I Just Wanna Stop" (1978), " Living Inside Myself" (1981) ...

and

Richie Havens Richard Pierce Havens (January 21, 1941 – April 22, 2013) was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. His music encompassed elements of folk music, folk, soul music, soul (both of which he frequently cover song, covered), and rhythm and b ...

. She was also a song-writer.

Background

Brooks was born in New Jersey and grew up there singing gospel music.Canukistan Music
Dianne Brooks, Walkin' on My Mind / Need to Belong - 7", by Michael Panontin
/ref>Writing on Music, JULY 6, 2020
Gone But Not Forgotten: ‘Picture Me Gone FIONA MCQUARRIE
/ref> Things started for her at three years of age when she was singing in her New Jersey church. Taking note of Dianne's talent, her mother eventually sent her to New York City to study voice. Brooks was a teenager when she joined the group, The Three Playmates who recorded for the

Savoy Savoy (; )  is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps. Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south and west and to the Aosta Vall ...

label. In 1960, she moved to Toronto. During the 1960s, she was a member of two popular Canadian r&b / soul groups. She also appeared regularly on Canadian radio and television. Along the way, she caught the attention of Jerry Schoenbaum who founded the

Verve Records Verve Records is an active American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Founded in 1956 by Norman Granz, the label is home to the world's largest jazz catalogue, which includes recordings by artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Ca ...

label. She was offered a deal and recorded two singles for the label. One of the songs she recorded, "Picture Me Gone" was recorded by

Madeline Bell Madeline Bell (born July 23, 1942) is an American soul singer, who became famous as a performer in the UK during the 1960s and 1970s with pop group Blue Mink, having arrived from the United States in the gospel show '' Black Nativity'' in 1962 ...

who was also from New Jersey and like Brooks grew up singing gospel. Like Bell, she would have a similar career, adding her backing vocals to recordings by a multitude of artists. During the 1970s, she had a lot of work as an in-demand backing vocalist. Commenting on Brooks,

Emmylou Harris Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, bandleader, and activist. She is considered one of the leading music artists behind the country rock genre in the 1970s and the Americana (music), Americana genre ...

once said ''“I know I'm a valid singer, but when I hear Dianne I feel like handing in my contract.”''.

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential musicians in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Gen ...

also referred to her as the greatest voice he'd heard since

Dinah Washington Dinah Washington (; born Ruth Lee Jones; August 29, 1924 – December 14, 1963) was an American singer and pianist, one of the most popular black female recording artists of the 1950s. Primarily a jazz vocalist, she performed and recorded in a ...

. Jack Batten of ''

The Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part of Torstar's Daily News Brands division. The newspaper was establis ...

'' once referred to her as the best soul singer in the country. In reference to Brooks, Anne Murray said that she had never met someone so innovative vocally.

Early career

1950s

; With the Three Playmates In the late 1950s, she was involved in the following recordings, * "Giddy-Up-a-Ding-Dong" / "It Must Be Love", (released on

45-1523 in 1957),citizenfreak.com (© Museum of Canadian Music)
Brooks, Dianne - Some Other Kind of Soul Information/Write-up
/ref> * "Give Your Love to Me" / "(Do-oo, Do-oo) I Dreamed", (released on Savoy 45-1528 in 1957) with backing by musicians, George Barrow,

Jerome Richardson Jerome Richardson (December 25, 1920 – June 23, 2000) was an American jazz musician and woodwind player. He is cited as playing one of the earliest jazz flute recordings with his work on the 1949 Quincy Jones arranged song "Kingfish". Caree ...

Budd Johnson Albert J. "Budd" Johnson III (December 14, 1910 – October 20, 1984) was an American jazz saxophonist and clarinetist who worked extensively with, among others, Ben Webster, Benny Goodman, Big Joe Turner, Coleman Hawkins, Dizzy Gillespie, Duke ...

, Sam Price,

Kenny Burrell Kenneth Earl Burrell (born July 31, 1931) is an American jazz guitarist known for his work on numerous top jazz labels: Prestige Records, Prestige, Blue Note, Verve Records, Verve, CTI Records, CTI, Muse Records, Muse, and Concord Records, Conco ...

Joe Benjamin Joseph Rupert Benjamin (November 4, 1919 – January 26, 1974) was an American jazz bassist. Born in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Benjamin played with many jazz musicians in a variety of idioms. Early in his career he played in the big bands of A ...

Bobby Donaldson Robert Stanley "Bobby" Donaldson (November 29, 1922, Boston – 1971) was an American jazz and R&B drummer. After playing locally in the early 1940s, Donaldson played with Russell Procope while serving in the Army in New York City. In 1946–47 ...

Ernie Wilkins Ernest Brooks Wilkins Jr. (July 20, 1922 – June 5, 1999) was an American jazz saxophonist, conductor and arranger who spent several years with Count Basie. He also wrote for Tommy Dorsey, Harry James, and Dizzy Gillespie. He was musical direct ...

(arranger)Savoy Records discography
Jazzdisco.org. Retrieved 23 June 2013. * " Sugah Wooga" / "Lovey Dovey Pair", (released on Savoy 45-1528 in 1957) with backing by musicians, Buddy Lucas, Bobby Banks,

Leonard Gaskin Leonard Gaskin (August 25, 1920 – January 24, 2009) was an American jazz bassist born in New York City. Gaskin played on the early bebop scene at Minton's and Monroe's in New York in the early 1940s. In 1944 he took over Oscar Pettiford' ...

. The Three Playmates was made up of sisters Lucille and Alma Beatty and Gwen Brooks (Dianne). They had a chart hit with one of the records they had released on the Savoy label. The song " Sugah Wooga" which she co-wrote with

Ozzie Cadena Oscar "Ozzie" Cadena (September 26, 1924 – April 9, 2008) was an American record producer with Savoy Records and Prestige Records who recorded gospel and jazz music in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, and helped popularize jazz music in Los Ang ...

managed to get to # 89 on the Billboard Pop Top 100.

1960s

The Orbiteers In 1962, she was featured on a recording relating to the Orbiteer toy. The song was "The Orbiteer Twist" which was a commercial. It was also her own composition. The A side of the single was credited to Dianne Brooks with Billy O'Conner and His Orbiteersmen. The B side, "My Orbiteer Will Come Back", a Randy Leeds composition was credited to The Orbiteers with Billy O'Conner and His Orbiteersmen. It was allegedly the first time

Robbie Robertson Jaime Royal Robertson (July 5, 1943 – August 9, 2023) was a Canadian musician of Indigenous and Jewish ancestry. He was the lead guitarist for Bob Dylan's backing band in the mid-late 1960s and early-mid 1970s. Robertson was also the ...

had played on a released recording. The Silhouettes Brooks and saxophonist Steve Kennedy had been part of The Silhouettes who were an established group on the Toronto r&b scene. The Silhouettes had backed

Eric Mercury Eric Alexander Mercury (28 June 1944 – 14 March 2022) was a Canadian singer who was a member of the soul group The Soul Searchers during the 1960s. He later made waves in 1969 with his '' Electric Black Man'' album. He had two hits: the fir ...

on his single, "I Wondered Why" / "Softly", released on Clip 1122 in 1966. The group also backed and included Jack Hardin They played at venues such as Toronto's prominent music club, Friar's Tavern, and the Blue Note club which was also located in Toronto. With the Soul Searchers Also in 1966, Brooks and Kennedy left the group to form

The Soul Searchers Charles Louis Brown (August 22, 1936 – May 16, 2012) was an American guitarist, bandleader, and singer known as " The Godfather of Go-Go". Go-go is a subgenre of funk music developed around the Washington, D.C., area in the mid-1970s. While ...

with Eric Mercury, guitarist Terry Logan, organist

William "Smitty" Smith William Daniel "Smitty" Smith (August 30, 1944 – November 28, 1997) was a Canadian keyboardist and session musician. Background He had been playing together with Steve Kennedy, Eric Mercury, Eric "Mouse" Johnson, Terry Logan and Diane Brook ...

and drummer Eric "Mouse" Johnson. According to Smitty's book, '' A Stroke of Luck'', Brooks and Kennedy were in a romantic relationship. Smith and Kennedy had an idea of putting together a group to play behind Brooks. Things began in April that year. Even though the group is referred to as the Soul Searchers, the real name was Diane Brooks, Eric Mercury and The Soul Searchers.''A Stroke of Luck'' by William D. Smith 2008,
Pages 278 to 280 Diane Brooks
/ref> The instrumental section of the group consisted of Eric "Mouse" Johnson on drums and vocals, Steve Kennedy on tenor, baritone sax and background vocals, Terry Logan on guitar and vocals and William "Smitty" Smith on Hammond B3 organ and vocals. They first played at the Memory Lane in Toronto. Sometime that year, Brooks got an offer to record for herself. Due to the band supposedly not having the experience or considered to be up to the task, they didn't get to play on the recording. According to Michel Ruppli's book on the

Verve Verve may refer to: Music * The Verve, an English rock band * '' The Verve E.P.'', a 1992 EP by The Verve * ''Verve'' (R. Stevie Moore album) * Verve Records, an American jazz record label Businesses * Verve Coffee Roasters, an American coffee h ...

discography, a recording session took place in New York on November 17 of that year. Four songs were recorded with Harvey Brooks (no relation to Diane) who was producing at the time. They were "

I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself" is a song written by Burt Bacharach and lyricist Hal David. The song was recorded by Dusty Springfield and it reached No. 3 on the UK chart in 1964. Composition and early versions The song's life be ...

", "In My Heart", "Sometimes I Wonder" and "Into Something Good". The following year on March 15, two more tracks, "Picture Me Gone" and "Say Something Nice To Me" were recorded. It's possible that some of these tracks did not see a release. "In My Heart" bw "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself" was released on

Verve Folkways Verve Forecast is a record label formed as a division of Verve Records to concentrate on pop, rock, and folk music. Founding Jerry Schoenbaum of Verve and Moe Asch of Folkways created Verve Folkways in 1964 to take advantage of the popularit ...

5036 around November 1966 while "Picture Me Gone" bw "Sometimes I Wonder" was supposed to be released on

Verve Forecast Verve may refer to: Music * The Verve, an English rock band * '' The Verve E.P.'', a 1992 EP by The Verve * ''Verve'' (R. Stevie Moore album) * Verve Records, an American jazz record label Businesses * Verve Coffee Roasters, an American coffee h ...

5055 in 1967. In May and June 1967 the group appeared in New York at The Scene club with

The Free Spirits The Free Spirits was an American band credited as the first jazz-rock group. The band also incorporated elements of pop and garage rock. Their first album, '' Out of Sight and Sound'', was recorded in 1966 and released in 1967. History The ban ...

and Tiny Tim. The Soul Searchers were on the same bill as

The Doors The Doors were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, comprising vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most influential and controversial rock acts ...

on various nights, with the poster saying "''APPEARING WITH THE DOORS NIGHTLY for a Completely Flipped Out Evening: DIANNE BROOKS / ERIC MERCURY and The SOUL SEARCHERS''". At some stage Brooks had left the band after falling in love with a hairdresser, leaving Mercury to be the front man.

Solo career

Revolution Records period

Revolution Records was run by Mort Ross and

Doug Riley Douglas Brian Riley, CM (April 12, 1945 – August 27, 2007) was a Canadian musician, also known as Dr. Music. He spent two decades with the Famous People Players as its musical director, besides his participation on over 300 album projec ...

with Terry Brown as their recording engineer.''Cash Box'', March 8, 1969
Page 66 Canada
/ref> The intention of Revolution Records wasn't to start off as a record company as they did. They wanted to build a recording facility with equipment superior to what other Canadian studios at the time. But with the studio having been built and ready for business later in August 1969, they recorded some demos with Brooks in the meantime. They were originally intended to be just demos. The studio owners were very impressed with what they had heard, and considered them to be ''"So good they had to be released"''. This is how

Revolver Records Recreational Records was a British record label set up in 1981 by the Bristol record shop and distributor Revolver Records. Originally formed as an independent record label with its own distribution as part of the Cartel. Revolver Records and ...

came into being when it did. By March 1969, she was already signed to Revolution. Also that month, her single " Walkin' on My Mind" had been released by Revolution's subsidiary, Revolver Records. It was also being released in the United States on Ray Charles'

Tangerine The tangerine is a type of citrus fruit that is orange in colour, that is considered either a variety of the mandarin orange (''Citrus reticulata''), or a closely related species, under the name ''Citrus tangerina'', or yet as a hybrid (''Citr ...

label. Revolution's Mort Ross had travelled to New York to set up the distribution deal with Charles' label for the current record, which also involved any future releases from Brooks. A distribution deal was also set up for England with Morgan Records handling that task. For Canadian distribution, the

Compo Company Compo Company Ltd. was Canada's first independent record company. The Compo Company was founded in 1918 in Lachine, Quebec, by Herbert Berliner, an executive of Berliner Gramophone of Canada and the oldest son of disc record inventor Emile Berl ...

was chosen. By April 21 the song had entered the ''

RPM Weekly ''RPM'' ( and later ) was a Canadian music-industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. ''R ...

'' Canadian Content Chart at #10. By May 2 it made it to #4 on the RPM chart. However it only got to #67 nationally.Canaukstan Music
Dianne Brooks, Walkin' on My Mind / Need to Belong - 7" by Michael Panontin
/ref> The group Motherlode was doing gigs on Friday and Saturday nights in London, Ontario. They did a demo session with Brooks as a backing vocalist. However it was decided that she wasn't needed. Also around that period, Motherlode came up with their ''When I Die'' album.''RPM Weekly'', Volume 12 No. 15, November 29, 1969
Page 5 ROSS GAINS CONTROL OF REVOLUTION
/ref> In late September 1969, her second single with Revolution, "Show Him (He's Not Alone)" which was written by

was released on

Revolver A revolver is a repeating handgun with at least one barrel and a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold six cartridges before needing to be reloaded, ...

REVS 003. The single which was backed with " Show Me" was produced by Mort Ross. She also had written a song " Memories of a Broken Promise" which Motherlode had recorded and released as the follow-up to their hit " When I Die". By the end of November the song was charting in both Canada and the US. The song would get to #99 on the CASH BOX Top 100 Singles chart. By November 22, the song was at #4 on the ''RPM'' Canadian Content Chart and at #55 on the Canadian National chart. It would eventually be one the BMI Canada Certificate of Honour winners of 1969. An article in the November 29 issue of ''

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or r⋅min−1) is a unit of rotational speed (or rotational frequency) for rotating machines. One revolution per minute is equivalent to hertz. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 def ...

'' indicated that her album was soon due to make its appearance. Motherlode did some instrumental backing on her '' Some Other Kind of Soul'' album. William Smith and Steve Kennedy also wrote "The Boys Are On the Case". Her other activities during 1969 until the end of the year involved performing with

at Friar's Cub and then appearing at the Savarin Tavern with Rob McConnell's Boss Brass. By June 27, 1970, ''Some Other Kind of Soul'' was at #87 on the RPM100 album chart.

1970s

Along with

and

, she provided backing vocals to Canadian folk singer Bob Carpenter's album, ''Silent Passage'' which was released in 1975. In 1976, her ''Back Stairs Of My Life'' album was released. It also included the song "

Down the Backstairs of My Life Eric Alexander Mercury (28 June 1944 – 14 March 2022) was a Canadian singer who was a member of the soul group The Soul Searchers during the 1960s. He later made waves in 1969 with his '' Electric Black Man'' album. He had two hits: the fir ...

". It was written by

and William Smith. Smith was also one of the backing musicians, playing keyboards. The album also included the songs "Kinky Love" and "Brown Skin Rose". They were released on a single with "Kinky Love" as the A side. The single managed to get into the Canadian Top 40. It also got some airplay in the US. Also in 1976, she and William Smith contributed to the music on Richie Havens' ''The End of the Beginning'' album with her along with Smith and others providing background vocals. Sharing background vocal duties with Patti Brooks and

Brenda Russell Brenda Russell (née Gordon; born April 8, 1949) is an American singer-songwriter, producer, and keyboardist. Russell has a diverse musical range which encompasses Rhythm and blues, R&B, pop music, pop, soul music, soul, dance music, dance, and ...

, she was one of the hand picked singers to sing on Dusty Springfield's tenth studio album '' It Begins Again'' which was released in 1978.

1980s

According to the ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' article dated April 18, 1981, her single was one of the new releases the Town House record label which was formed by Las Vegas-based real estate developer William Levitt. The single, "Go Away" bw "Drums" was produced by

Nat Kipner Nathan Kipner (October 2, 1924 – December 1, 2009) was an American songwriter and record producer with a considerable career in Australia. He is remembered as the producer of the Bee Gees' first hit "Spicks and Specks (song), Spicks and Specks ...

.45Cat
Dianne Brooks - Discography, USA
/ref>

1990s to 2000s

On October 1, 1996, the Toronto Blues Society announced that she was to share the stage in November that year with artists that included Blues Talent Search winner Robin Banks, rock diva

Lee Aaron Lee Aaron (born Karen Lynn Greening; July 21, 1962) is a Canadian rock singer. She had several hits in the 1980s and early 1990s, such as "Metal Queen", "Whatcha Do to My Body", and "Sex with Love". Early life Aaron was born as Karen Lynn Greeni ...

, Chris Armstrong, Juno nominee Georgette Fry, Melanie Jean, Andrea Koziol, and Jani Lauzon.

Death and legacy

Brooks died in Toronto on April 29, 2005, at age 66, from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Brooks' daughter Jo-Ann aka JoAnne Brooks VanderMeer died from health complications on March 7, 2019, at age 65. She was also a singer. Her daughter Lindsay Bell is also a singer.

Posthumous releases

In 2021, an album of eight songs, ''From the Heart & Soul'', was released by Panda Digital. Musicians playing on the album included

Don Grusin Donald Henri Grusin (born April 22, 1941) is an American jazz keyboardist, composer, and record producer. He is the younger brother of Dave Grusin. Career Don Grusin grew up in Littleton, Colorado. His father, a native of Latvia, was a classica ...

and Jack Lee on keyboards and piano,

on piano, Al Ciner, Chris Corrigan and Rob Walsh on guitar, Paul Stallworth on bass. The drummers were, Joe Carrero, Claudio Slon and Bob McLaren. The songs on the album were, "Trying to Get to You", "Give Me One More Chance", "I'm Carrying", "Can't Get Enough of You", "All I Need is You", "Out Love is Here to Stay", "Venice Breeze" and "But Not for Me". DigitalToronto Cultural Media Network, ''That Canadian Magazine'', October 21, 2021
Dianne Brooks: From the Heart & Soul By Raul Da Gama
/ref> The first five tracks on the album are from two different L. A. sessions. One was from 1978 and the other from 1980. The other three tracks were recorded with the Doug Riley Trio, live at George's Spaghetti House in 1983. A track of special note was "All I Need Is You". The Jazz Week chart showed plays from September 13, 2021, to January 10, 2022, with the last recorded position of 283. Even though brief, the review by George W. Harris of ''Jazz Weekly'' was good with the reviewer saying she floated over the bassline of "Trying To Get To You" and slinked on the slow cover of "I'm Carrying", a

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...

song.''Jazz Weekly'', November 25, 2021
REVIEWS, TWO OLDIES BUT GOODIES: Dianne Brooks: From the Heart & Soul, Norm Amadio Trio: After Hours 1966 by George W. Harris
/ref>

Discography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brooks, Dianne 1939 births 2005 deaths American emigrants to Canada American jazz singers American women jazz singers 20th-century Black Canadian women singers 20th-century Canadian women singers Canadian people of African-American descent Singers from Toronto 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers African-American women musicians 20th-century African-American women singers 21st-century American women Verve Records artists Revolver Records (Canada) artists Reprise Records artists The Silhouettes (Canadian group) members The Soul Searchers (Canadian group) members Dr. Music members