Elkie Brooks

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Elkie Brooks
Background information
Birth name	Elaine Bookbinder
Born	25 February 1945 (1945-02-25) (age 64)
Origin	Broughton, Salford, England
Genres	Pop/Rock/Jazz/Blues
Occupations	Singer
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1960 - present
Associated acts	Vinegar Joe, Robert Palmer, Humphrey Lyttelton
Website	http://www.elkiebrooks.net/
Notable instruments
Piano/Fender Rhodes

Elkie Brooks (born Elaine Bookbinder, 25 February 1945 in Broughton, Salford) is an English singer, formerly a vocalist with Vinegar Joe, and later a solo artist. She is known for her powerful husky voice.

Life and career

Brooks was born to Jewish parents in Salford, England and grew up in Prestwich. She attended North Salford Secondary Modern School.

A professional singer since she was fifteen, Brooks' debut, a cover of Etta James's "Something's Got A Hold On Me", was released on Decca in 1964. She spent most of the 1960s on Britain's jazz scene.It was on the jazz scene she met Humphrey Lyttelton the two remained friends till Lyttelton's death in 2008. Impressed by Steve Marriott's vocal and stage performances, she helped the mod band Small Faces with their early career by introducing them at several venues. In the early 1960s Brooks supported The Beatles in their Christmas show in London. She also toured the U.S with The Animals, among other acts and also supported Jimi Hendrix.

After she met husband Pete Gage, she joined the short-lived fusioneers Dada before forming Vinegar Joe with Gage and Robert Palmer. Elkie gaind the reputation as the wild woman of " Rock n Roll" due to her wild stage performances. Elkie was compared to Janis Joplin and Tina Turner.

After three albums, they split up in 1974, and Brooks and Palmer both went solo. After a time as backing singer with the American southern boogie band Wet Willie, she returned to England.

Her first solo album on A&M records was Rich Man's Woman (1975). Elkie was given a hard time due to the album's cover, which was considered outrageous for the time.

It came before a run of sixteen UK hit albums in twenty-five years, starting with Two Days Away, produced by the legendary duo Leiber & Stoller, who had also worked with Elvis Presley and many others (1977). Brooks wrote some tracks with Leiber and Stoller. The hits "Pearl's a Singer", "Sunshine After the Rain" came from this album. "Lilac Wine", Don't Cry Out Loud, came later. The albums Shooting Star (1978), Live and Learn (1979), Pearls (at the time, the largest selling album by a British female artist) (1981), "Fool (If You Think It's Over)" was a hit for Brooks taken from this album, written by Chris Rea.Pearls II (1982), Minutes (1984) and Screen Gems the first album to be produced on CD in the UK (1984) were all UK chart successes. In 1986 No More the Fool gave her biggest hit single to date while the parent album reached the top 5. Following chart success ensued with the albums The Very Best of (1986), Bookbinders Kid On Bookbinders Kid, she covered "What's The Matter Baby" previously recorded by Timi Yuro. Yuro got in touch with Brooks to compliment her.^{[citation needed]} (1988), Inspiration (1981), Round Midnight (1993), Nothin' But the Blues (1994), Amazing (1996) and The Very Best of (1997). In 1980 Brooks performed at the Knebworth Festival with The Beach Boys, Santana and Mike Oldfield.

Brooks' success has earned her recognition by the Guinness Book of Records as the most charted British female album artist of the last 30 years.^{[citation needed]} Pearls stayed in the charts for 79 weeks and was still there when Pearls II charted a year later.

In March 2003 she participated in the ITV music talent show Reborn in the USA, alongside musicians such as Peter Cox (Go West Singer), Tony Hadley and Leee John.The Electric Lady album (2005) saw a return to her blues and rock roots, featuring self-penned tracks alongside re-workings of numbers by The Doors, Bob Dylan, Paul Rodgers and Tony Joe White. The following year saw the release of her first official DVD, titled Elkie Brooks & Friends: Pearls featuring an array of guest musicians.

Brooks is currently working on her 20th studio album. A popular live attraction, Brooks has toured almost every year during her solo career. Her 1982 UK concert tour was seen by more than 140,000 people in just three months.^{[citation needed]} She has performed at every major UK theatre including sell out runs at the London Palladium, Dominion Theatre, Hammersmith Apollo, Ronnie Scott's, Royal Albert Hall and Wembley Arena.

In 1978 Elkie married sound engineer Trevor Jordan. They have two sons. Trevor has been Elkie's sound engineer since 1977.

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

Compilations

Singles

References

External links

• Official website of Elkie Brooks
• "Elkie Brooks, Cabot Hall, London", The Guardian, September 9 2005, by Robin Denselow