Jazz vocalist Dianne Brooks was born in New Jersey and cut 2 singles in 1957 with “The Three Playmates” before moving to Toronto and singing in local haunts like The Bluenote and The Coq D'Or. Her first single was in 1960 (“The Orbiteer Twist” which was Robbie Robertson’s first studio appearance). In 1967 she released the single “In My Heart” on Verve/Folkway and it just rips along:
In 1970 she released her first album (“Some Kind of Soul”) which was critically well received but didn’t produce any singles. For the next several years she toured and worked in the studio, and in 1976 her second album “Back Stairs Of My Life“ was released - produced by Brian Ahern and featured contributions from Anne Murray, Bonnie Raitt, Amos Garrett, Bill Payne and others.
The picture below was taken in 1976 after the release of “Back Stairs Of My Life” during a set of gigs at the Queensbury Arms - she was not entirely happy with the album, stating “[Brian] Ahern says he’s trying to make me into a black country-western singer. But becoming a female Stompin’ Tom is not where I’m at musically. I’m a jazz singer.”
Dianne toured with Bette Midler, Boz Scaggs, and Count Basie. Anne Murray dedicated her 7th album (“Danny’s Song“) to Dianne, calling her a “constant source of inspiration“. Ray Charles said she was “the best female singer since Dinah Washington“. And by the by, her daughter JoAnn Brooks was an early member of Toronto band “Rough Trade”.
Gwendolyn Dianne Brooks: 1939-01-03 to 2005-04-29.
Photo courtesy of Toronto Public Library - support them more than ever.