(February 2, 2022) Today, we sadly pass on word of the passing of guitarist supreme, the great Darrell Crooks, at the too young age of 64. He reportedly died of complications from COVID.
Originally from Texas, Crooks relocated to Los Angeles, where he fashioned a fine career as a guitarist. For the last three decades, Crooks was a “go to” guitarist for many of the great R&B, hip-hop, jazz and Gospel artists. The acts with whom he worked are too numerous to count, but include everyone from Snoop Dogg to Gregory Porter, from Eric Clapton to Andre Crouch, from 2-Pac to Al Jarreau, from Earth Wind & Fire to Ledisi. And as good as he was as a guitarist, the artists uniformly proclaim he was better as a person.
(February 2, 2022) Today, we sadly pass on word of the passing of guitarist supreme, the great Darrell Crooks, at the too young age of 64. He reportedly died of complications from COVID.
Originally from Texas, Crooks relocated to Los Angeles, where he fashioned a fine career as a guitarist. For the last three decades, Crooks was a “go to” guitarist for many of the great R&B, hip-hop, jazz and Gospel artists. The acts with whom he worked are too numerous to count, but include everyone from Snoop Dogg to Gregory Porter, from Eric Clapton to Andre Crouch, from 2-Pac to Al Jarreau, from Earth Wind & Fire to Ledisi. And as good as he was as a guitarist, the artists uniformly proclaim he was better as a person.
Many of the artists with whom Crooks worked have expressed on social media both their admiration for him and their grief at his passing. As noted bass player Andrew Ford posted, “Beyond the music, he was simply one of the most interesting people I have ever met. Always thinking outside of the box, looking for something new or different in music or otherwise.”
We offer our condolences and prayers for Darrell Crooks’ family and friends.