🔥 Chicago blues guitar legend Ronnie Baker Brooks joins Joe Kelley to share stories from Paisley Park, recording with Morris Day & The Time, and collaborating with Prince’s bandmates Michael Bland and Sonny T.

🟣 Inside:

• Ronnie’s experience cutting tracks with The Time

• Hanging out at Paisley Park and celebrating with Prince

• The enduring influence of blues roots on funk and soul

🎧 Full episodes & video interviews: musiciansreveal.com

📺 YouTube: @musiciansreveal

So for the take me with your record being like, babe, bro, we gonna do something a little different.

I said, what you talking about?

He said, well, we gonna do the Memphis stuff.

But I got something now he didn't tell me.

So we do the Memphis.

We do the Memphis stuff.

He said, man, I set up.

I set up a session here in Minneapolis with Sonny and Michael Bland and Chaz.

I was like, what?

So I went up to Minnesota, man, and we cut.

We cut about five or six tracks up there with them, man.

I'll never forget, Mick edition was coming in the studio checking us out while we were cutting.

And it was just a cool vibe, man.

And Sonny and Michael B.

Was awesome, man.

And they were like, so cool to me.

Like, Ronnie, we should take this on the road, man.

At that time, he wanted to go on the road as a three piece and being a four piece with being as a special guest, I was like, you know, if I had what I have now with the backing of alligator records, I would do it.

But at the time, I didn't have no help.

I was just trying to do it all by myself.

Yeah.

And, you know, when you bring out Michael and Sonny, it's got to be that level.

You know what I mean?

Yeah, yeah.

You got a business decision, too, right?

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

So.

But that was an honor to work with them.

And then we did it again on the torch album.

And the cool thing about being introduced to those cats, man, they all come from the blues, but of course they do what they do, what they known for, but they got that blues root in them, man.

All of them, you know.

And even Terry Lewis and Jimmy.

Jimmy Jam, they got that blues root in them.

And you played on one of the tracks with the time that hasn't been released, right?

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

So the cowboy or cowgirl?

Cowgirl.

Okay.

Yeah.

Maybe one day.

One day, hopefully, man.

Larry Graham's on that track.

I believe prince is on the track.

Terry is on, I think.

No, Terry didn't play as Larry.

I think beings on drums.

I'm not sure.

I forget.

I know I played the prince.

I believe prince is on guitar, too.

So I know you've told the story on my radio show, but to the YouTube audience and everything, you had a connection hanging out with Prince of Paisley park.

Yeah, a little while back, which is pretty cool.

Yeah.

What was that about, man?

That.

Well, that was actually during that same time being.

See, what he told me, this hike be always look, you know, hold his cars real close to his chest.

Because I was young, you know, I was young, and, you know, and they're famous, mandy, you know, you got to protect that, you know?

And he called me up.

They said, man, prince is doing this celebration at Paisley.

You should come on up.

I was like, cool.

So I went up there not knowing that he had set up this session with.

With Terry Lewis at Terry Lewis House.

So that's when.

That's when I did cowgirl.

Right, right.

So we cut.

We cut two days.

I went there first day and hung out at Terry's house and talking, you know, getting to know Terry a little better.

And then the second day, I came back, and he.

Oh, your audio dropped out.

There you go.

Yeah, I had cut the track that day before, and Terry asked me just to come back, just to make sure we got it, you know.

And I came back the next day.

He was like, man, I don't know what you did to this track, ronnie, but I could not let it go all night.

I've been working on it all night, man.

And he.

I was like, come on, Terry, don't you know?

But being like, no, he's not.

He's not playing.

Terry serious.

Terry's very serious.

And so we ended up that night going to see Prince.

And at the celebration, man, it was George Clayton.

Erica Badoo was Washington performing that night with common, the rapper common, man, some.

Everybody, man, was there, and prince said, hey, man, after the show, we was at the sound booth.

He came to the sound booth, say, hey, man, y'all come to the studio after the.

After the set, you know, and he walked away, and I said, bean, did he mean me, too?

He said.

He said, y'all right.

I.

I ended up going to the studio, you know, was inside of the building, but a different part of the building.

And, man, I was quiet as a church mouth joe.

I was like, man, I'm not saying nothing.

I don't want to get kicked out of it.

I remember me.

We all get there, and Terry had us do some chanting on this track he was doing for Morris.

Morris was there, and we were doing this chant, and Terry said, hey, why don't y'all go out there and get some girls?

I need some girls to do some chanting, you know, on this record.

Some oohs and ahs or whatever.

It was right, and right when the girls came in, prince came in, and he started preaching, what are you doing, Terry?

What are you doing, Morris?

He said, we're just getting some chance, man.

Why do you want to do that to the sisters?

Now, they wasn't doing anything bad.

It was just like, ah, you know what?

Nothing provocative or nothing, you know, bad at all.

But I think Prince used this situation to try to connect and get them to convert to Jehovah Witness.

And that started a whole conversation that night.

We ended up there to, like eight in the morning, man.

Prince hail court now.

We ended up on the floor of the studio.

I never forget this.

Prince is on the piano talking.

He trying to get Terry Morris, jelly Bean and Jerome.

Everybody was there to convert to Jehovah Witness.

And they like, man, we not ready for that.

You.

You there, man.

But we not, you know.

And, you know, I can understand both sides, you know.

Yeah, yeah.

And.

And he was playing this beautiful melody on the piano, man, while he was talking.

And he'd get up and he'd say something and he just threw out the question, what's the ultimate goal in life?

What do you.

What do you want to do?

What's your ultimate goal?

And when he know we were talking about music, I wouldn't say a word.

But when he started talking about faith, now we equal, right?

Right.

We equal now in Gaza.

And my guys, are we equal?

And I said, man, I don't know where I got the courage from, Joe, because I just said, hey, man, ultimately, I want to be the best person I could be.

I want to be better than I was yesterday.

Prince got up out of his chair, man.

Got on the floor.

And I'm sitting next.

Me and Tori Ruffins sit next to each other.

Tori, my brother, man.

Tory, I guess I could say this now.

I didn't say it before.

I can say it now.

God rest Prince soul.

But, you know, he didn't allow no alcohol or nothing.

Yeah.

Yeah, right.

So I think Tory told the story.

Maybe if this is you tell it.

Yeah.

Okay.

So me and Tory sitting next to each other, we, you know, we whispering.

And Prince talking over there.

We just.

Yeah, Mandy, I'm trying to listen, man.

And all of a sudden, Tory, he had a flask in his jacket, and it fell on the floor.

Boom.

It made the noise.

And we all look at.

He grabbed it real quick before Prince can see it.

Like if your dad walks in, right, right.

You think he saw him in?

But Prince kept on talking like, as if he didn't see it, man.

But me and Tory was crying, laughing, man.

We were crying loud, man, you gonna get us kicked out of here, man.

So, you know.

And then after that, Prince came and sat down next to me, man, when I said what I said.

And, uh, he's talking, and I'm like, whoa.

I'm into it with him.

We talking back and forth.

And then all of a sudden, Joe, I just looked down at his boots.

He had on some bad boots, man.

Really nice, sharp boots.

Custom looked like, with a heel on it, right?

And then it just hit me.

This is Prince.

This is the modern day Jimi Hendrix.

This is Prince.

That's right.

Yeah.

And I went back into.

Shut up.

Right?

Yeah.

It's like, whoa.

Yeah.

Great night, man.

We.

We were there all day, man.

And then after most of the people left, and it was just Terry, jelly Bean and Morrison.

And mostly the time, you know, the band and me, he really got uncanny.

And that's beside.

I saw a prince that I was fortunate to see because he was just.

When he was around them, it was like brothers.

They were like brothers.

It wasn't this I'm a star thing or this thing.

He let that down, that guard down.

And just like one of the fellas, man, he took us around, showing us Paisley, man.

And he showed me the triple diamond of purple Rain.

I had never seen a diamond record.

And he had a triple diamond record.

And he was like, yeah, like, man, that's cool.

And he showed me his Batman piano and just showed us around, man.

We were just walking around talking, man.

And it was just a beautiful day for me, man.

I'll never forget.

Yeah.

I mean, that's definitely a relatable story that nobody sees.

The few.

You're one of the few to get.

I was blessed.

Yeah.

That was because of jelly Bean Mandev.