Elkie Brooks
| Elkie Brooks | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Elaine Bookbinder |
| Born | 25 February 1945 [1] |
| Origin | Broughton, Lancashire, England |
| Genres | Pop, rock, blues, jazz |
| Occupations | Singer |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1960–present |
| Associated acts | Vinegar Joe, Robert Palmer, Humphrey Lyttelton |
| Website | http://www.elkiebrooks.net/ |
Elkie Brooks (born Elaine Bookbinder; 25 February 1945)[2] is an English singer, a vocalist with Vinegar Joe, and later a solo artist. She gained her biggest success in the late 1970s and 1980s and has been nominated twice for Brit Awards' top female singer.British Queen of Blues. She is known for her powerful husky voice and hit singles such as "Pearl's a Singer", "Lilac Wine", "Don't Cry Out Loud", "Fool (If You Think It's Over)", and "No More the Fool", and top-selling album Pearls.
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Life and career [edit]
Early career and Vinegar Joe [edit]
Brooks was born Elaine Bookbinder in Broughton, Salford, the daughter of Marjorie Violet "Vi" (née Newton) and Kalmon Charles "Charlie" Bookbinder. Her paternal grandparents and great-grandparents were Jewish immigrants who were from Kielce, Russian Poland. Her mother, who had been born to a Catholic family, converted to Judaism.[3] She was raised in Prestwich. She attended North Salford Secondary Modern School.[1]
Her older brother is Anthony Bookbinder (born 28 May 1943), who went by the stage name of Tony Mansfield, and was drummer for Billy J. Kramer with The Dakotas, on their run of 1960s hit records.
According to Brooks, her unofficial debut was a gig at a club called the "Laronde" on Cheetham Hill Road, Manchester when she was thirteen. 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 cabaret scene, a period of her life that she did not particularly enjoy.[4] In the early 1960s Brooks supported The Beatles in their Christmas show in London, then, as an established act, helped the Small Faces in their early career by introducing them at several venues.[1] She went on to tour the United States with several bands including The Animals.
After she met Pete Gage, whom she would marry, she joined the short-lived fusioneers Dada before forming Vinegar Joe with Gage and Robert Palmer. Elkie gained the reputation as the wild woman of "Rock n Roll" due to her wild stage performances.[5] 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.[1]
Solo career and chart success [edit]
Her first solo album on A&M records was Rich Man's Woman (1975). Released to critical acclaim, Brooks 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 albums in twenty-five years, starting with Two Days Away, produced by the aong writing duo Leiber & Stoller, who had also worked with Elvis Presley and many others (1977). Brooks also wrote some tracks with them. The hits "Pearl's a Singer" and "Sunshine After the Rain" came from this album. The albums Shooting Star (1978) and Live and Learn (1979) also saw success along with the singles "Lilac Wine" and "Don't Cry Out Loud".[6] In 1980 Brooks performed at the Knebworth Festival with The Beach Boys, Santana and Mike Oldfield.[7] Pearls, released in 1981 achieved the biggest success of her career, becoming the largest selling album by a British female artist up to this point in the UK. "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 (1984), were all UK chart hits.[6]
In early 1987 the song "No More the Fool" became her biggest hit single to date while the parent album reached the top five. This led to her achieving a career peak as she had two albums and a single in the top ten all on the same week.[8][9] Following chart success ensued with the albums The Very Best of Elkie Brooks (1986), Bookbinder's Kid (1988). On Bookbinders Kid, Elkie recorded the Timi Yuro hit "What's the Matter Baby". Timi Yuro heard Elkie's version and contacted Elkie to compliment her. The two remained friends[citation needed]. Inspiration (1989), Round Midnight (1993), Nothin' but the Blues (1994), Amazing (1996) and The Very Best of Elkie Brooks (1997).[6]
Since 2000 [edit]
In March 2003, she participated in the ITV music talent show Reborn in the USA, alongside musicians such as Peter Cox, 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 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. She has performed at every major UK theatre, including sellout runs at the London Palladium, Dominion Theatre, Hammersmith Apollo, Ronnie Scott's, Royal Albert Hall and Wembley Arena. Brooks was offered "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" but turned it down. It was subsequently recorded by Julie Covington and others. Brooks also turned down the song "The Flame"; it was then recorded by Cheap Trick.
Brooks' twentieth studio album Powerless was released in 2010, featuring songs such as Prince's "Purple Rain" and Dylan's "Make You Feel My Love". She continues to perform live throughout the UK.[10]
The Guinness Book of Records states that Brooks is the "Best Selling Female Album Artist in the UK in the last 30 years".[citation needed]
Personal life [edit]
In the early to mid-1970s, Brooks was married to guitarist Pete Gage. In 1978, she married her sound engineer, Trevor Jordan. They live in Devon and have two sons, Jermaine (born 1979) and Joseph (born 1987). All the family are involved in Brooks' career, songwriting, and touring.[11]
Discography [edit]
Studio albums [edit]
| Year | Album | UK #[12] | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Rich Man's Woman | - | A&M |
| 1977 | Two Days Away | 16 | |
| 1978 | Shooting Star | 20 | |
| 1979 | Live and Learn | 34 | |
| 1981 | Pearls | 2 | |
| 1982 | Pearls II | 5 | |
| 1984 | Minutes | 35 | |
| Screen Gems | 35 | ||
| 1986 | No More the Fool | 5 | Legend |
| 1988 | Bookbinder's Kid | 57 | |
| 1989 | Inspiration | 58 | Telstar |
| 1991 | Pearls III (Close to the Edge) | - | Freestyle |
| 1993 | Round Midnight | 27 | Castle |
| 1994 | Nothin' but the Blues | 58 | |
| 1995 | Circles | - | Permanent |
| 1996 | Amazing | 49 | Carlton Classics |
| 2003 | Shangri-La | - | Classic Pictures |
| Trouble in Mind (with Humphrey Lyttelton) | - | ||
| 2005 | Electric Lady | - | Swing Cafe |
| 2010 | Powerless | - | Eventful Music Productions |
Live albums [edit]
| Year | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | The Pearls Concert | Artful |
| 2005 | Don't Cry Out Loud | Recall |
Compilations [edit]
| Year | Album | UK #[12] | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | The Very Best of Elkie Brooks | 10 | Telstar |
| 1997 | The Very Best of Elkie Brooks | 23 | Polygram |
| 2007 | The Silver Collection | 45 | Spectrum |
Singles [edit]
| Year | Song | UK #[12] | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | "Something's Got a Hold on Me" | - | Non-album single | Decca |
| "Nothing Left to Do but Cry" | - | |||
| 1965 | "The Way You Do the Things You Do" | - | ||
| "He's Gotta Love Me" | - | HMV | ||
| "All of My Life" | - | |||
| 1966 | "Baby Let Me Love You" | - | ||
| 1969 | "Come September" | - | NEMS | |
| 1974 | "Rescue Me" | - | Island | |
| 1975 | "Where Do We Go From Here" | - | Rich Man's Woman | A&M |
| "He's a Rebel" | - | |||
| 1977 | "Pearl's a Singer" | 8 | Two Days Away | |
| "Saved" | - | |||
| "Sunshine After the Rain" | 10 | |||
| "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man" | - | |||
| 1978 | "Lilac Wine" | 16 | non-album single | |
| "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" | 43 | Shooting Star | ||
| "Since You Went Away" | - | |||
| "Stay with Me" (Netherlands only) | - | |||
| "Don't Cry Out Loud" | 12 | non-album single | ||
| 1979 | "The Runaway" | 50 | ||
| "He Could Have Been an Army" | - | Live and Learn | ||
| "Falling Star" | - | |||
| 1980 | "Why Don't You Say It" | - | non-album single | |
| "Paint Your Pretty Picture" | - | Pearls | ||
| "Dance Away" | - | |||
| 1981 | "Warm and Tender Love" | - | ||
| "Fool (If You Think It's Over)" | 17 | |||
| 1982 | "Our Love" | 43 | Pearls II | |
| "Nights in White Satin" | 33 | |||
| "Will You Write Me a Song" | - | |||
| 1983 | "Gasoline Alley" | 52 | ||
| "I Just Can't Go On" | - | |||
| 1984 | "Minutes" | - | Minutes | |
| "Driftin'" | - | |||
| "Once in a While" | - | Screen Gems | A&M/EMI | |
| 1986 | "No More the Fool" | 5 | No More the Fool | Legend |
| 1987 | "Break the Chain" | 55 | ||
| "We've Got Tonight" | 69 | |||
| 1988 | "Sail On" | - | Bookbinders Kid | |
| 1989 | "Shame" | - | Inspiration | Telstar |
| "You're the Inspiration" (Belgium only) | - | |||
| 1990 | "I'll Never Love This Way Again" | - | ||
| "For the World" (withdrawn before release) | - | non-album single | European Artists | |
| 1991 | "The Last Teardrop" | - | Pearls III (Close to the Edge) | Freestyle |
| "One of a Kind (Belgium only)" | - | |||
| 1999 | "Too Much To Lose" (with Courtney Pine) | 181[13] | Unfinished Business (unreleased) | BMG |
| 2005 | "Out of the Rain" | - | Electric Lady | Swing Cafe |
| 2010 | "Powerless" | - | Powerless | Eventful Music Productions |
References [edit]
- ^ a b c d "Search general register office (GRO)birth records 1761-2006 | Fully indexed birth records". Findmypast.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-02-17.
- ^ Bryan Burnett (2011-11-30). "Music - Elkie Brooks". BBC. Retrieved 2013-02-17.
- ^ "Jewish Telegraph Online - Arts & Entertainment". Jewishtelegraph.com. 1945-02-25. Retrieved 2013-02-17.
- ^ Interview on Woman's Hour, BBC Radio 4, Wednesday 31 March 2010
- ^ Robin Denselow (2005-09-09). "Elkie Brooks, Cabot Hall, London | Music". The Guardian. Retrieved 2013-02-17.
- ^ a b c "The Official Charts Company - Elkie Brooks". The Official Charts Company. 5 May 2013.
- ^ "Rock Concerts". Knebworth House. 1974-07-20. Retrieved 2012-01-01.
- ^ "The Official Charts Company - Charts for 6 May 2013". The Official Charts Company. 6 May 2013.
- ^ "The Official Charts Company - Charts for 6 May 2013". The Official Charts Company. 6 May 2013.
- ^ Gore, Will (2010-07-12). "Elkie to make a splash at Pools". Wimbledon Guardian. Retrieved 2013-02-17.
- ^ "The Official Site - Biography". Elkie Brooks. Retrieved 2013-02-17.
- ^ a b c Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 79. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ "Chart Log UK: Darren B - David Byrne". Zobbel.de. Retrieved 2013-02-17.
External links [edit]
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