On Blues In My DNA, second-generation blues man Ronnie Baker Brooks continues the legacy of his father, Lonnie Brooks, by keeping the blues relevant and fresh. Funky chord work, incendiary guitar solos, universal tales, and punchy production are only a few of the highlights. VG sat with the Windy City native to get the inside skinny.

Your songwriting and playing on Blues In My DNA is stellar.
Thank you. Producer Jim Gaines got me some really good guitar tones. It starts with the artist, but Jim knows how to tweak them. I put together 30-some songs I’d written and presented to Bruce Iglauer at Alligator Records and my manager John Boncimino. We got together and picked what we liked that fit. Then, I went down to Jim’s studio outside of Memphis and cut the ones I felt good and confident about. We prepared and wrote out the arrangements, but the most important thing was to get with the band and catch a vibe.

You maintain a Chicago sound but with a contemporary attitude.
That’s always been my formula – bring something authentic with something fresh. I try to be that bridge between the older generation and the new generation. My old man always told me to write songs. He pushed that on us. He’d say, “Who’s going to write the next ‘Sweet Home Chicago’ or ‘Got My Mojo Working’?” He started working with me as a child, when I first started playing guitar.

Your backstory includes being a touring roadie for your father and interacting with some of the greatest guitar players in the world.
When I was in L.A., they had just started GIT (now Musicians Institute) and I was a tech for my dad – he would let me play one or two songs a night with him. I was thinking about enrolling, and a guy who was attending said, “Man, I will trade places with you (laughs)!” He said, “You’re already in the right school, touring around the world with Lonnie!”

Looking back, he was right. It was an education that I could never get by paying tuition. I got to rub shoulders with the masters of guitar and some of the greatest artists in this field of music. I picked their brains and even got to jam with many of them, all because of my father. He was well-respected among his peers. When they saw his kids on the road, they embraced us. They knew we were going to keep this music going into the future, and here we are.

On “I’m Feeling You,” you get such a thick guitar tone.
I had the great Will McFarlane on rhythm guitar. He played with Johnnie Taylor and Bonnie Raitt, and he’s amazing. He stayed out of my way but elevated the music. I started the intro with a Strat – my number one, The Baby. I hadn’t played a Strat in so long because on my last record, Times Have Changed, my producer, Steve Jordan, said, “We’re leaving the Strats on the bus (laughs)!”

Why is that?
He wanted the warm sound of the Gibsons. Jim Gaines as producer was wide open with guitar tones. I tried to blend the Strats and the Gibsons, and I was really happy with the sounds. I used Gibsons for the leads and Strats for the percussion sounds.

Is the lead on “I’m Feeling You” a Gibson ES-336?
It is! They’re hard to find. I used a 335 on the record, as well. I have a custom Les Paul and used a Paul Reed Smith on “My Love Will Make You Do Right.” I love the 335, but it’s bulky, so I was predominately playing Strats. Going from a Strat to a 335 is uncomfortable as far as its feeling against your body. I got a 336 for myself and my dad. Then, a friend had a black one made for me that has my logo on it. That’s the one I use for all the lead tones on the record.

Which amps are you using?
I’m using a Deluxe Reverb, my buddy’s Supro, and a Super Reverb with a Quilter head on top; I unplugged my speakers and plugged it into the Quilter head. I also use a Vibro-King, but I don’t take it on the road because I don’t want anything to happen to it. Onstage, I’ll stack two Tube Screamers for solos.

What’s coming up?
Touring! I’m going out with my man Coco Montoya!

This article originally appeared in VG’s January 2025 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.