Would you like to ride in the front with us?, the Los Angeles paramedic asked Jo. Sure, she said, and went to get into the left side of the cab. Shall I drive? Oh yes, said Jo, forgetting (being British) which side the driver sits on in the US. Apparently, she had the ride of her life. Full siren and flashing lights racing through every intersection and stop light of Hollywood all the way to Cedar Sinai. I would love to have seen that. Unfortunately, I was in the back and not quite ‘with it’ enough to enjoy the moment. Something had been going wrong in my body for a few months but I wasn't able to get an appointment to get it checked out properly. I was on a list, as they say. However, this little incident was my golden ticket to that appointment finally becoming a reality. As it turns out, I was not hanging up my guitar for the last time. I just needed an adjustment. Like a tablet or smart phone, you just need turning off and on again to reset your hard-drive, so to speak, said the hospital technician. I don't quite get what he meant, but eventually that's what happened Meanwhile, Jo saw Hollywood in a way few other visitors do.
Funnily enough, while we were careening up Sunset Boulevard, the Travelling Wilbury's song “End Of The Line” was on repeat on the playlist in my head. 'Well it's alright, riding around in the breeze. Well it's alright, if you live the life you please. Well it's alright, doing the best you can. Well it's alright, as long as you lend a hand.' In my blue-sky dreams that's the kind of band I'd like to be a part of. My favourite combination. Acoustic guitars and songs, banger after banger.
A guy I once knew, sadly no longer with us, used to speak of the day he received a phone call from one of the big record companies asking if a new band could rent his vintage Gretsch guitar and amp. A dollar amount was agreed and the address for the drop-off confirmed. Up into the hills outside Los Angeles he drove, the amp and guitar in the backseat of his '66 Mustang. He found the house and pulled up to the front gate. He pressed the call button and a voice with a strong Liverpudlian accent said, “Can I help you?”
UPCOMING CONCERTS AUTUMN 2025
October-USA
25th 6 On The Square, Oxford, NY
29th The Exchange, Bloomsburg, PA
November-USA
1st The Old Sloop Presents, Rockport, MA
4th Folk At The Farmhouse, Burdett, NY (sold out)
5th “What About Wednesdays,” Weybridge, VT
7th Lyrics Coffeehouse Redding, CT
8th The Bull Run, Shirley, MA
9th Sailing Into Song, Newton, MA
November-UK
19th Baldock Folk Club, Baldock, Hertfordshire
20th Grateful Fred’s Presents, Bijou Sessions, Southport
21st Acoustic Wessex, Blandford Forum, Dorset
22nd Lawn Tennis Club, Cambridge
23rd Private Concert
(photo by Oren B Helbok)
Brooks' Acoustic
In the spirit of Brooks' Guitars and Brooks' Blues, I am delighted to present to you Brooks' Acoustic. Coming in January 2026, it's, well, what it says on the tin: me playing acoustic guitar(s) and singing. I've added some backing vocals and there's a bit of percussion here and there. Eight songs (six of my own doing, one from the late-great Rab Noakes, one a Brooks and Boo collaboration) and two instrumentals. It is already one of my favourite chapters in the book I call my musical life. If you're reading this, you'll be the first to know when it arrives.
(design by Leslie Lee)
RED AMBER GOLD PLAYLIST 2511
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