Detroit Brooks was born into a New Orleans musical family with deep roots in the Southern gospel traditions. His father, George A. Brooks, performed with the Masonic Kings, his brother Mark is a world-renowned bassist, and his sister Juanita toured extensively with her band, Juanita's Gospel Express. Detroit came of age playing with his family's acts and with groups such as Clarence Fountain and the Five Blind Boys, the Zion Harmonizers, and Raymond Myles and the Rams, and studied with guitar masters Roy Montell and Gary Haulette.
Brooks matured into a consummate musician who moves skillfully through traditional and contemporary jazz, funk, and rhythm and blues. He is an in-demand session player who has toured around the world, most regularly as an essential member of the Charmaine Neville Band, and has recorded and performed with Wynton Marsalis, Dr. Michael White, Eddie Bo, Dr. John, Allen Toussaint, and Irma Thomas, backing players like Ike Stubblefield, Dr. Lonnie Smith, and Donald Harrison Jr. in local clubs.
Though much of his work is as a sideman, he has released two albums as a leader — On My Way Home (2010) and Only At Christmas Time (2014). In recent years he has focused on songwriting and community projects, including the New Orleans Guitar Extravaganza and the Danny Barker Banjo and Guitar Festival, which he founded in 2015 with performances and educational programs for young people. In 2017 he received OffBeat's Best of the Beat HeartBeat Award.
