Kerry Brooks began his musical journey at the age of four, when he started taking piano lessons in his hometown of Albemarle, North Carolina. Guitar lessons began at age nine, and he found his true love – the bass- at seventeen. While in high school and college, Kerry played around North Carolina with various blues and rock bands. During his college days at University of North Carolina – Charlotte, he discovered upright bass and a passion for jazz and classical music. He graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education and set off on a career as a full-time performing bassist. Kerry studied formally with Michael Mosley for four years, and also had the great fortune to take lessons from Herman Burney, David Friesen, and Avishai Cohen. Over the years Kerry has played on numerous recordings, performed and jammed with many world class musicians, and has made a great number of television, print, and radio appearances. He has toured extensively, both domestically and internationally, with a variety of bands.
Currently, Brooks is an active touring and recording member of several bands including – Amy Ray Band, RevelWood Mission, Danielle Howle, Jason Byrd, Early Ray, and Cravin Melon. Kerry has also performed with bands that shared the stage with legendary acts such as: Chris Stapleton, Tedeschi Trucks, Hootie and the Blowfish, Trigger Hippy, Mavis Staples, The Allman Betts Band, Drivin N Cryin, Leon Russell, Rick Springfield, Shawn Mullins, The Avett Brothers, BB King, Buddy Guy, Jerry Garcia Band, Johnny Winter, Robert Cray, Delbert McClinton, Elvin Bishop, Tim Warfield, Koko Taylor, Edgar Winter, Tim O’brien, The Fab Thunderbirds, Firehouse, Tommy Castro, Taj Mahal, Dave Mason, Kathy Mattea, Janis Ian, and the Temptations.
Between local performances, recording tracks, production, and touring Kerry stays pretty busy. He also works in conjunction with Pickard Guitars and Music 49 designing and building a wide array of custom guitars and basses. He’s always open to discussing opportunities to play with other talented, passionate musicians and meeting new people in the industry.