Hadda Brooks facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hadda Brooks
Brooks as the singer of "I Hadn't Anyone Till You" in the film In a Lonely Place (1950)
Background information
Birth name	Hattie L. Hapgood
Born	(1916-10-29)October 29, 1916 Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Died	November 21, 2002(2002-11-21) (aged 86) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres	Blues, boogie woogie, jazz, R&B
Occupation(s)	Musician, composer
Instruments	Piano, vocals
Years active	1940s–2000s
Labels	Modern, Crown, Virgin, Point Blank, Oldie Blues

Hadda Brooks (born Hattie L. Hapgood, October 29, 1916 – November 21, 2002) was an amazing American musician. She was a talented pianist, singer, and composer. People often called her the "Queen of the Boogie" because of her lively piano playing style. In 1993, she was honored by being added to the Rhythm and Blues Foundation Hall of Fame.

Hadda Brooks' Musical Journey

Hadda Brooks started her recording career with a song called "Swingin' the Boogie" in 1945. It became very popular in her local area. Another one of her big hits was "Out of the Blue," which made it into the top ten R&B songs.

Brooks loved playing slow, beautiful songs called ballads. But she also became very good at boogie-woogie music. She learned this style by listening to other famous pianists like Albert Ammons, Pete Johnson, and Meade Lux Lewis.

Performing Around the World

In the 1970s, Hadda Brooks traveled a lot to Europe. She performed in many nightclubs and music festivals there. For many years, she lived in Australia and did not perform much in the United States.

In 1984, an album called Queen of the Boogie was released. It was a collection of her songs from the 1940s. Two years later, in 1986, her manager helped her come out of retirement. She started performing again in jazz clubs in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York City.

Hadda Brooks even sang at Hawaii's special statehood ceremony in 1959. She was also asked to meet Pope Pius XII in person.

Later Recordings and Performances

Hadda Brooks started recording music again in 1994 with an album called Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere. A record company called Virgin Records bought her old songs from the 1940s and 1950s. They released a collection of these songs called That's My Desire.

Virgin Records also asked her to record three new songs for a Christmas album. This was special because she had released music on the same record label 50 years apart! In 1996, she released another album called Time Was When. She wrote two of the songs on this album herself: "You Go Your Way and I'll Go Crazy" and "Mama's Blues".

Brooks began playing at famous clubs like Johnny Depp's Viper Room and the Algonquin Hotel's Oak Room in New York City. She also played in Hollywood clubs. In 1996, she celebrated her 80th birthday by performing two full shows at the Viper Room.

In 2007, a documentary film about Hadda Brooks' life was made. It was called Queen of the Boogie.

About Hadda Brooks

The record producer Jules Bihari gave her the stage name "Hadda Brooks." Her birth name was Hattie L. Hapgood.

In 1940, Hadda Brooks married Earl "Shug" Morrison, who played for the Harlem Globetrotters. Sadly, her husband passed away within a year. She never married again after that.

Hadda Brooks passed away at the age of 86 in Los Angeles.

Discography

Filmography