Brooks began on trumpet at age six, and by the age of 11 was discovered by Rudy Vallee,[2][3] and appeared on his Fleischman Hour radio show, and became a permanent member where he played thrilling trumpet solos, but was not allowed to play with the brass section of the band.
By the time he was eighteen he was working with Jerry Blane for an entire summer in western New Jersey, followed by Gene Kardos and then Ruby Newman at the Rainbow Room in New York City.
[3] By June 1942, he had moved on to Claude Thornhill,[2] followed a few months later by Bob Allen, but within a year he was playing with Les Brown,[3] before founding his own band in early 1945.
[3] Among his hits for Decca Records were "Tenderly", "Harlem Nocturne",[2] and "The Man With The Horn", but his swing-based style and large ensemble were out of step with the times, and his success eroded toward the end of the decade.
Brooks married Ina Ray Hutton and moved to Los Angeles,[3] where he suffered a stroke and was unable to continue as a musician.