Donnie Brooks

Donnie Brooks
Birth name	John Dee Abohosh
Also known as	Johnny Jordan Dick Bush Johnny Faire
Born	February 6, 1936(1936-02-06)
Origin	Dallas, Texas, United States
Died	February 23, 2007(2007-02-23) (aged 71)
Genres	Pop
Occupations	Singer
Labels	Era Fable Reprise Happy Tiger
Associated acts	TRUTH OF TRUTHS Rock Opera, 1971

Donnie Brooks (John Dee Abohosh, February 6, 1936 – February 23, 2007) was an American pop music singer.^[1] Brooks is a member of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.

Born in Dallas, Texas, Abohosh moved to Ventura, California in his teens, where he was adopted by his stepfather and took the name John D. Faircloth. He discovered a singing voice at a young age and recorded a few minor hits with several small record labels under the stage names Johnny Jordan, Dick Bush, and Johnny Faire, the latter gaining some sales with "Bertha Lou" in early 1959, while a cover version by Clint Miller charted nationally. Encouraged by friends Dorsey and Johnny Burnette, he persevered in the music business and in late 1959, he made his first recording using the name Donnie Brooks. Called "Li'l Sweetheart," it received a lukewarm reception, but his March 1960 hit single, "Mission Bell" on Era Records demonstrated a quality voice in an upbeat song that peaked at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.^[2] You can see a performance video of Donnie Brooks singing Mission Bell at Wibbage.Net.

His follow-up, "Doll House"/"Round Robin" (a double-sided hit single with a color picture sleeve on Era Records) peaked at #31 in December 1960. Although he continued to record through the 1970s, he never again achieved the same level of success. In 1971, Brooks played the role of Christ in the rock opera "Truth of Truths" for Oak Records. The record was produced by Ray Ruff, who previously worked for ABC-Paramount, Happy Tiger and Dot.^[1] Brooks toured with other performers from the early rock and roll era in oldies revival shows.

Brooks died of a heart attack following a long illness on February 23, 2007. He was 71.

There was a special memorial service and rockabilly show in his honor on Sunday, March 26, 2007 at the Elks Lodge in Burbank, California.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Long, Donald John (July 31, 2003). "Interview with Ray Ruff & Donnie Brooks". One-Way.org. http://one-way.org/jesusmusic/index.html. Retrieved January 24, 2010. 
2. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1998). Billboard Top 10 Charts, 1958-1997. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 46. ISBN 0-89820-126-8. 

External links

• Rockabilly Hall of Fame
• Partial discography and audio samples

Persondata
Name	Brooks, Donnie
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	February 6, 1936
Place of birth
Date of death	February 23, 2007
Place of death