Leon Eric Brooks, III, was born on May 12, 1955 in Shreveport, Louisiana. He was nicknamed “Kix” before he was born because he kicked non-stop in the womb. When Kix was four years old, his mother died of cancer.
Kix and his sister, Midge, were raised by his grandmother and his father, Leon Brooks, an oil company engineer. His father later remarried and had two more kids, Lisa and Ben. Kix credits his father, who died in 1998, with giving him the push he needed to “make it”.
Kix learned to play the ukulele at the age of six. Soon after, he learned to play the guitar by listening to Hank Williams and Johnny Horton songs. When Kix formed his first band his first gig was at the home of Billy Jean Horton, Johnny Horton's widow.
Kix attended boarding school at Sewanee Military Academy for four years. After graduating he enrolled briefly at Southern Methodist University where he intended to study classical guitar technique. He transferred to Louisiana Tech where he majored in theater arts and speech.
In 1975 he decided to take a break from college. His father arranged a job for him in Fairbanks, Alaska. The new job appealed to Kix's adventurous spirit. Kix began playing in the local clubs in Fairbanks.
After Kix left Alaska, he returned to Louisiana Tech and graduated. Afterward he went north to Maine where he worked doing TV/radio production and writing copy and jingles for his sister's advertising agency. At night, he played in local coffee houses. One night he went to a party where he met a brunette named Barbara who owned a fabric store in town. He asked for Barbara's number, even though he was dating the party's hostess.
Kix found life in Maine a little sedate so he took off for New Orleans to fulfill a lifelong dream of being part of the Big Easy music scene. Kix played Bourbon Street bars night after night. He played for cash. Fifty bucks a night. He had a great time playing the music, but he was getting restless.
Jody Williams, Kix's Sewanee Academy roommate, was working in writer/publisher relations at Broadcast Music, Inc. Jody encouraged Kix to come to Nashville, but Kix was determined to try New Orleans first. After many months Kix got the push he needed when his landlady kicked him out of his apartment. It was time to go to Nashville.
In 1980 Kix drove from New Orleans to Nashville in a shell of a van with a beat-up lounge chair as his passenger seat. He rented a one-room efficiency and started peeling through the wad of 100 dollar bills he'd saved from New Orleans. Kix worked a number of odd jobs: at a convenience store, in a warehouse, as a day laborer, and as a security guard.
Music was on his mind and he began writing and showing up for open mike nights. Barbara moved to Nashville and they were married on August 1, 1981. After one open mike night Kix was offered a job as a staff songwriter at Don Gant's Golden Bridge Music, where he earned a draw against future royalties of his songs. Later he signed on as a staff writer at Tree Publishing. Kix wrote successfully during the 80's but he still wanted to be a performer and a recording artist.
In 1983 Texas-based Avion Records released Kix's first single, “Baby, When Your Heart Breaks Down,” which cracked the top 75 on The Billboard Charts. A few months later his second single, “Make a Little Hay,” was released. Then, his first album, Kix, was released. Though the album got positive reviews, the sales weren't great.
In 1986 he co-wrote “I Still Hear the Music” which won the contest for Music City's Official Theme Song. Later he co-wrote the Official Earth Day Song, “Tomorrow's World.”
Kix and Barbara's home life was happy. Their daughter, Molly, was born Christmas Eve, 1986. Their son, Eric, was born in April of 1989.
In 1988, Capitol Records signed Kix to a recording deal. His album, Kix Brooks, received critical raves. The first single, “I'm on to You”, was Billboard Magazines top recommended hit, but Capitol did not promote it. The second single, “Sacred Ground”, was also Billboard Magazines top recommended hit of the week. Before the release of the third single, Kix asked to be released from his contract with Capitol Records.
Capitol agreed to release Kix from his deal. He continued writing and started pursuing another record contract. He was looking for a solo deal. Then in 1990, his producer and songwriting partner, Don Cook, played some of his music for Arista Records president, Tim DuBois, who had an interesting proposal. One Kix hadn't considered before. A duo… |
