Hello! My name is Daryl Brooke. I am a professional steel guitar player.
My music journey
I remember…..My parents were both creative and artistic and I remember music always being played at home. Lots of music, much of it from my parents era, songs from the 1930’s and WWll, big band swing songs and polkas, lol. I was encouraged to learn a musical instrument at an early age. Starting with the clarinet, I quickly switched to trumpet and studied and performed with the school band, and sang in the school choir as well. I learned at at a young age, how to read music, and am very thankful today for having that skill. Learning a musical instrument and performing in those school concerts set the foundation for my musical development journey.
Things changed dramatically when I heard Duane Eddy's recording of “Rebel Rouser” on the am radio. Wow! The twang of the electric guitar. Soon it was electric guitar Ventures surf rock, Beach Boys, and then The Beatles. As I matured, I continued to study guitar, pop rock, jazz and classical, with wonderful instructors. One day in 1971 I was at Bill Graham’s Fillmore East for a Grateful Dead show, Jerry Garcia sat down behind a pedal steel guitar, and started playing. I immediately recognized the steel guitar sound from other steel recordings I was familiar with like Santo and Johnny’s “Sleepwalk” and the Buddy Emmons solo on Judy Collins’ “Someday Soon”…. that unmistakable sound of the steel bar slide on the strings. I was transformed!
I have studied extensively with steel guitar masters, John Ely (Asleep at the Wheel), and Alan Akaka (Hawaiian). Studying with Berklee online I achieved two master certificates: guitar performance and music production with ProTools. In 2012 My wife, Susanne, and I opened The Grateful Guitar shop in Key West, where for 10 years I taught guitar and ukulele to scores of students. While in Key West I performed at most of the major venues, and collaborated with all the wonderful musicians who worked there. As a musician and business owner, I had 2 radio shows, and wrote features for the local newspaper. I volunteered as board member of the Bahama Village School of Music, which offered free music lessons to children who could not afford otherwise. I enjoy volunteer work. In NY before moving to Key West, I had been a volunteer instructor for Guitars for Veterans (G4V).
After the covid pandemic, my wife and I decided to move back North, and bought a home in Pittsfield, MA where we now live. I teach via zoom, am a volunteer instructor for Berkshire County Literacy Association, and a volunteer for Roots Rising. I am a Board member and Chairperson of the Scholarship Program for the Hawaiian Steel Guitar Association (HSGA.org), and also a staff performer for CATA (Community Access to the Arts). Since the beginning of 2025, the CTSB studio (Community Television of the Southern Berkshires) has been filming my live studio performances monthly, as a series called “Steel Home”vand publishes these video episodes on their YouTube channel. I am grateful!
I've played in some very good bands over the years: County Line, and Uncle Bert on Long Island; The Naturals, and Nick Norman, and Larry Baeder in Key West. Today, most of my gigs I play as a solo artist. My music has evolved to a jazz / blues / swing repertoire solo performance, that is received very well by most audiences, and many fans have described my music as a (cool tropical groove!). I perform using professionally recorded backing tracks, playing songs that pass the test of time and have broad popular appeal: songs from the 1930’s to today, beautiful melodies that everyone knows and enjoys, played on a Hawaiian steel guitar. I create a cool tropical groove for your guests and customers. My music is best suited for special events, cocktail parties, festivals, wineries, coffee shops and restaurants.
So please, check me out! If you hear me at gig please come up and say hello! Join my mailing list if you are so inclined.