Corey Garland Photography
Brooks Young grew up in Concord New Hampshire, as a child he always loved music. Brooks recalls watching his grandfather play guitar and singing and decided to take interest in performing at a young age.
Brooks received his first electric guitar at the age of 9 from his family, from that day on Brooks Young without knowing would be starting his musical career. After receiving his first guitar Brooks took notice to many older musicians considered legends and learning their skills like B.B. King, Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix. While learning the guitar Brooks dove deeply into Eric Claptons music and the musicians that Clapton admired.
Young heard Eric Clapton’s Unplugged and proceeded to teach himself every note. “I just used to sit in my room and practice that one book,” Young said recently from his home in Franklin. “All my friends thought I was crazy.”
On Sept. 11, 2001, Brooks was introduced to B.B. King from then on, King and Young got together whenever the blues legend came to town. Last year, the Brooks Young Band opened for him at Hampton Beach, and Young received a shout-out during King’s set. “He’s up there, playing ‘The Thrill Is Gone’ and thanking me from the stage,” Young recalls, still amazed.
Over the years Brooks Young has had the chance to share the stage with many of his favorite musicians such as :
* Pat Benatar
* Huey Lewis And The News
* Grammy Award Winning, King of the Blues, B.B. King.
* Robert Randolph & The Family Band
* Brad Whitford of Aerosmith
* J. Geils
* James Cotton
* Johnny A.
* James Montgomery
* South Side Johnny & The Asbury Jukes
For all of Young's blues roots, his album "Counting Down" takes more cues from hybrid blues-rockers like Robert Cray and James Hunter, as well as early Rolling Stones — indeed, it closes with a faithful cover of “Jumping Jack Flash.” What stands out most is Young’s silk-and-sandpaper singing, particularly on the up-tempo tracks “Pushing Up” and “Wake Up Molly.” Young is a fan of John Mayer (“I actually got to hang out with him a bit last October down at Berklee, and he’s a pretty nice guy … we exchanged stories about B.B. King.”), and he offers stylistic nods to Mayer’s blues/pop sweet spot on the tender ballad “By My Side.”
- Hippo Press
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