The first guitar Brooks West picked up belonged to his uncle, a wheat farmer in North Dakota (and not a guitar player himself). Since then, this Fargo North Dakota native has gone on to write well over one hundred songs, blending elements of contemporary folk, country, and pop. The son of a mortician and a school teacher, Brooks has a unique outlook on life that shapes his eclectic repertoire. His songs cover subjects ranging from death and destruction to love and hope and even the occasional ballad to office supplies. Over the past ten years, Brooks has performed in coffee shops, bars, colleges, festivals, and benefits across a good portion of the country. Some career highlights have included playing the national anthem for a sell-out crowd of more than 4,500 minor league baseball fans, and having opening slots for such nationally known acts as Grammy Award winner, Doc Watson, The Duhks, Dan Bern, Jeffrey Gaines, The Roches, KellyJoe Phelps,The Hackensaw Boys, Jeff Lang, Ingrid Michaelson, Shawn Mullins and more. After spending seven years in Pennsylvania and one in Nashville, Brooks has returned to his midwestern roots where he continues to play and write.
