Dolores "LaLa" Brooks facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
La La Brooks
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Brooks in 1963
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Dolores Brooks |
| Also known as | Sakinah Muhammad |
| Born | June 20, 1947 New York, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
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| Years active | 1962–present |
| Associated acts | |
Dolores Brooks (born June 20, 1947), also known as Sakinah Muhammad or La La Brooks, is a talented American singer and actress. She is most famous for being a lead singer of the popular girl group The Crystals. You might know her voice from The Crystals' big hit songs like "Then He Kissed Me" and "Da Doo Ron Ron".
Contents
La La Brooks's Story
Early Life and Joining The Crystals
Dolores Brooks was born in New York in 1947. She was one of 11 children in her family. Her mother was Native American, and her father was African-American.
From a young age, La La loved to sing. She started by singing gospel music in church. When she was just seven years old, she joined her brothers and sisters in their gospel group called Little Gospel Tears. They sang in Brooklyn, New York.
While she was still in elementary school, La La was discovered by Dolores "Dee Dee" Kenniebrew and her mother. They invited La La to join The Crystals. She joined the group in 1962, just in time for their song "Uptown."
Life After The Crystals
After leaving The Crystals, La La Brooks continued her music career. In 1966, she married jazz musician Idris Muhammad. She helped him write and record his music. Around this time, she also started using the name Sakinah Muhammad.
La La also performed on Broadway, which is a famous theater district in New York City. In 1968, she was in the original show of the musical Hair. She sometimes sang the well-known song "Aquarius" in the show. Later, in 1971, she appeared in another Broadway musical called Two Gentlemen of Verona.
She also toured and recorded music with many other famous artists. These included the Neville Brothers, Bobby Womack, and Isaac Hayes. La La even appeared in some movies and sang songs for movie soundtracks. One of her songs was for the 1970 film Cotton Comes to Harlem.
In 1971, she reunited with some of the original members of The Crystals. They toured together, performing in rock-and-roll revival shows until 1973.
International Music Career
In 1983, La La and her family moved to London, England. There, she and Idris continued their music careers. A few years later, in 1990, they moved to Vienna, Austria. In Vienna, La La kept singing and writing songs with Idris. She also hosted her own local radio show! They lived in Vienna until 1997.
In 1994, she released a CD called LaLa Brooks & Friends. After living abroad for many years, La La Brooks moved back to the United States around 2000. She now lives in New York. Today, La La Brooks still performs around the world with her musical group.
Music and Albums
La La Brooks has released many songs and albums throughout her career, both with The Crystals and as a solo artist.
With The Crystals
Here are some of the albums and singles she recorded with The Crystals:
- Albums
- 1962: Twist Uptown
- 1963: He's a Rebel (This album reached #131 on the US charts!)
- Compilation albums
- 1963: The Crystals Sing the Greatest Hits, Volume 1
- 1986: He's a Rebel - The Crystals featuring La La Brooks
- 1992: The Best of The Crystals
- 2011: Da Doo Ron Ron: The Very Best of The Crystals
- Singles (popular songs released on their own)
- 1963: "Da Doo Ron Ron" (This song was a huge hit, reaching #3 in the US and #5 in the UK!)
- 1963: "Then He Kissed Me" (Another big hit, reaching #6 in the US and #2 in the UK!)
- 1964: "I Wonder" (This song reached #36 in the UK.)
- 1964: "Little Boy" (This song reached #92 in the US.)
- 1964: "All Grown Up" (This song reached #98 in the US.)
With Idris Muhammad
La La Brooks also worked on music with her husband, Idris Muhammad:
- Peace and Rhythm (1971)
- My Turn (1992)
Solo Albums and Songs
Here are some of La La Brooks's own albums and singles:
- Albums
- La La Brooks and Friends (1996)
- All or Nothing (2014)
- Singles
- "Going Home" (from the movie Cotton Comes to Harlem) (1970) (She was billed as Sakinah for this song.)
