Donnie Brooks Biography
John Dee Abohosh, 6 February 1936, Dallas, Texas, USA, d. 23 February 2007, Burbank, California, USA. Raised in Ventura, California, the teenage Abohosh adopted the surname of his stepfather John Faircloth. He began singing in his early teens and initially recorded under the name Johnny Faire on the Fable and Surf labels, and for the latter label he recorded the rockabilly favourite "Bertha Lou". He then recorded as Dick Bush on Era and as Johnny Jordan on Jolt. His first recording as Donnie Brooks was "Li'l' Sweetheart" in August 1959 on Era. His biggest hit came with his single "Mission Bell" in 1960 which made the US Top 10. His only other Top 40 hit was the follow-up, the equally catchy pop song "Doll House", which charted in the UK when covered by the King Brothers. This underrated pop vocalist also recorded in the 60s for Reprise Records, Challenge and Yardbird, and in the 70s he continued to record for small record labels. He was later inducted into the Rockabilly Hall Of Fame.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Popular Music by Colin Larkin. Licensed from Muze.
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