Detroit Brooks playing his Deering 6-String Banjo

Detroit Brooks | Deering Live

Detroit Brooks is one of New Orleans top session and touring guitar and banjo players on the scene. He has toured around the world and recorded or played with musicians such as Dr. John, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Donald Harrison, Charmaine Neville, and many more. Detroit is deeply concerned with keeping the traditional music of New Orleans alive. He created the Danny Barker Festival which celebrates the music of Danny Barker and brings groups into the schools of New Orleans to teach about the banjo in New Orleans music.

Check out Detroit Brooks online - detroitbrooks.com


3 comments


  • Michael

    You can’t learn it. Either you pick it up, and understand it or you don’t. But something important in this presentation is that it is guitar banjo, which is what was present in Louis Armstrong’s band in the earliest days. You do not have to be tenor, plectrum, 5-string or whatever when it comes to making music with the people that you love to be with. Understand the dynamic your banjo offers to the sound, and equally important, understand its limits.


  • Richard Pollard

    Awesome interview with a remarkable man, musician, and singer song writer.


  • charlie brown

    how can i go about learning how to tune and learn the chords for new orleans jazz banjo?


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