Mark Brooks is a versatile, sought-after New Orleans bassist and singer who holds down the groove at regular gigs around the city and tours the globe. He grew up in a musical family — his brother is guitarist Detroit, his late sister the vocalist Juanita — and pursued a music degree at Southern University of Baton Rouge, where he was a protégé of the late jazz master and teacher Alvin Batiste alongside classmates Branford Marsalis and Donald Harrison Jr.
Over a prolific career, Brooks has performed with a who's who of music legends: Dr. John, the Neville Brothers, Lou Rawls, Henry Butler, David 'Fathead' Newman, Charles and Aaron Neville's ensemble, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and the Fats Domino Band. He can be seen and heard regularly at storied venues such as Preservation Hall, Mahogany Hall and Fritzel's Jazz Pub, or touring with the likes of Dr. Michael White or the German-based New Orleans Jazz Band of Cologne, and appears on many jazz recordings.
Brooks is also active in television and film, as an on-screen musical performer, actor and soundtrack artist — with roles in Clint Eastwood's The Bridges of Madison County, the Ray Charles biopic Ray and One Night in Miami, plus episodes of HBO's Treme, TNT's Memphis Beats, American Horror Story, NCIS: New Orleans, HBO's Roots remake and Interview with the Vampire. He has become a sought-after bass coach for actors, including Larenz Tate in Girls Trip and Josh Hartnett in Paradise Lost, and has had original songs placed in television series.
