Donnie Brooks 1936-2007

Singer Donnie Brooks died at the age of 71 on February 24th of congestive heart failure. He was born John Dee Abohosh on Feb. 6, 1936, in Dallas. His parents divorced when he was a boy, and he took the last name of Faircloth after his stepfather adopted him. When he made his first record, “Bertha Lou”, a rockabilly favorite it was as Johnny Faire. When he joined Era Records in the late 1950s, he had recorded under several names, including Johnny Jordan. The label decided on another that stuck: Donnie Brooks. ”Li’l Sweetheart,” was his first recording as Donnie Brooks, which was released in 1959. Over the next two years, he hit the Billboard Hot 100 three times with ”Mission Bell’, “Doll House”‘ and “Memphis”. In the 1970s, Brooks began producing and appearing in oldies revival tours that featured musical acts from the 1950s and ’60s. He was still performing in them before being injured in a car accident in 2003. Later that year, Brooks was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame in Burns, Tennessee. Brooks is survived by his wife of forty years, Penny, two children and two grandchildren.

You’ll hear all of Donnie’s charted songs and even some of those early rockabilly tunes at TUNEDEX MEMORIES!