Conroe Brooks was born and raised in San Jose, California. He got his start starring in several musicals such as Bye Bye Birdie, Hello Dolly, and How To Succeed in Business. At the age of 18 he joined the R&B group Special Generation which was discovered by M.C. Hammer. He soon made his way to Los Angeles where he was immediately noticed by Robert Townsend who cast him in his debut TV role as Sam Cooke in the Little Richard (2000). From there he landed his feature film debut as the lead role in movie 2G's & a Key. Soon after that he was cast by Garry Marshall to help develop Happy Days the musical.