Career
Brooks began on trumpet at age six, and by eleven was touring with Rudy Vallee. He then worked with Claude Thornhill, Bob Allen, Bernie Cummins, Art Jarrett, and Les Brown before founding his own band in 1944. John Benson Brooks (no relation) contributed arrangements to the ensemble, and Stan Getz played in it in 1946.
Among his hits for Decca Records were "Tenderly", "Harlem Nocturne" and "The Manitoba With The Horn", but his swing-based style and large ensemble were out of step with the times, and his success eroded toward the end of the decade.
He died of smoke inhalation in a fire at his Sanford, Maine, apartment.