R&B singer/pianist Hadda Brooks died November 21 in a Los Angeles hospital
following open-heart surgery at age 86.
In the '40s, Brooks was known as the "Queen of the Boogie" and later as a torch
singer with such hits as "That's My Desire," "Trust In Me," "Don't Take Your Love
From Me" and "Dream." She helped establish the important Los Angeles indie label
Modern Records, the West Coast's premier postwar R&B label. She later recorded for
OKeh. She made memorable appearances in the films "The Bad and the Beautiful"
and "In a Lonely Place" and had her own Los Angeles television show in the '50s.
After retiring in 1971, Brooks returned to music in the early '90s, recording for Virgin's
Pointblank imprint. In 1993, the Smithsonian-based Rhythm and Blues Foundation
presented her with its Pioneer Award.
