Elkie Brooks
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| Elkie Brooks | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Elaine Bookbinder |
| Born | February 25, 1945 |
| Origin | Broughton, Salford, England |
| Genre(s) | Pop/Rock/Jazz/Blues |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals |
| Years active | 1960 - present |
| Associated acts | Vinegar Joe, Robert Palmer, Humphrey Lyttelton |
| Website | http://www.elkiebrooks.net/ |
| Notable instrument(s) | |
| 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.
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[edit] Life and career
Brooks was born 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' "Something's Got A Hold On Me", was released on Decca in 1964. She spent most of the 1960s on Britain's jazz scene. 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. After she met husband Pete Gage, she joined the short-lived fusioneers Dada before forming Vinegar Joe with Gage and Robert Palmer. 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 Rich Man's Woman (1975) came before a run of sixteen UK hit albums in twenty-five years, starting with Two Days Away (1977) and the hits "Pearl's A Singer", "Sunshine After The Rain" and "Lilac Wine". The albums Shooting Star (1978), Live And Learn (1979), Pearls (at the time, the largest selling album by a British female artist) (1981), Pearls II (1982), Minutes (1984) and Screen Gems (1984) were all UK chart successes. In 1986 No More The Fool gave Elkie 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 (1988), Inspiration (1981), Round Midnight (1993) Nothin' But The Blues (1994), Amazing (1996) and The Very Best Of (1997).
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. 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. She has performed at every major UK theatre including sell out runs at London's Palladium, Dominion Theatre, Royal Albert Hall and Wembley Arena.During the seventies Elkie was nominated in the U.K. on several occasions as best female vocalist.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Studio albums
| Year | Album | UK # | Weeks | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Rich Man's Woman | - | - | A&M |
| 1977 | Two Days Away | 16 | 20 | A&M |
| 1978 | Shooting Star | 20 | 13 | A&M |
| 1979 | Live and Learn | 34 | 6 | A&M |
| 1981 | Pearls | 2 | 79 | A&M |
| 1982 | Pearls II | 5 | 25 | A&M |
| 1984 | Minutes | 35 | 7 | A&M |
| 1984 | Screen Gems | 35 | 11 | A&M |
| 1986 | No More the Fool | 5 | 23 | Legend |
| 1988 | Bookbinder's Kid | 57 | 3 | Legend |
| 1989 | Inspiration | 58 | 3 | Telstar |
| 1991 | Pearls III (Close to the Edge) | - | - | Freestyle |
| 1993 | Round Midnight | 27 | 4 | Castle |
| 1994 | Nothin' But the Blues | 58 | 2 | Castle |
| 1995 | Circles | - | - | Permanent |
| 1996 | Amazing | 49 | 2 | Carlton Classics |
| 2003 | Shangri-La | - | - | Classic Pictures |
| 2003 | Trouble in Mind (with Humphrey Lyttelton) | - | - | Classic Pictures |
| 2005 | Electric Lady | - | - | Swing Cafe |
[edit] Live albums
| Year | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | The Pearls Concert | Artful |
| 2000 | Live at the Palladium | JAM Records |
| 2000 | Live 2000 | JAM Records |
| 2005 | Don't Cry Out Loud - Live at Shepherds Bush | Recall |
| 2007 | Live With Friends | EMP |
[edit] Compilations
[edit] Charting
| Year | Album | UK # | Weeks | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | The Very Best of Elkie Brooks (Telstar) | 10 | 18 | Telstar |
| 1997 | The Very Best of Elkie Brooks (Polygram) | 23 (re-entry 1998) | 7 | Polygram |
[edit] Non-charting
| Year | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | The Very Best of Elkie Brooks (A&M) | A&M |
| 1986 | The Early Years | C5 |
| 1987 | The Collection | Castle |
| 1991 | Priceless | Castle |
| 1993 | We've Got Tonight | Castle |
| 1993 | Original Recordings | Castle |
| 1994 | Love is Love | Castle |
| 1995 | The Best of Elkie Brooks | Spectrum |
| 1995 | We've Got Tonight | Spectrum |
| 1997 | Master Series | A&M |
| 1998 | Gold and Blues | Castle |
| 1999 | Songs Of Love | Castle |
| 2000 | Millennium Edition | A&M |
| 2000 | Hold the Dream: Anthology | Castle |
| 2000 | Greatest Hits | Brilliant |
| 2001 | Pearl's Singer | Planet Song |
| 2003 | No More the Fool | Delta |
| 2006 | Pearl's a Singer: The Very Best of Elkie Brooks | Universal |
[edit] Singles
[edit] Charting
| Year | Song | UK # | Weeks | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | "Pearl's A Singer" | 8 | 9 | Two Days Away | A&M |
| 1977 | "Sunshine After The Rain" | 10 | 9 | Two Days Away | A&M |
| 1978 | "Lilac Wine" | 16 | 7 | Pearls | A&M |
| 1978 | "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" | 43 | 5 | Shooting Star | A&M |
| 1979 | "Don't Cry Out Loud" | 12 | 11 | Pearls | A&M |
| 1979 | "The Runaway" | 50 | 5 | N/A | A&M |
| 1981 | "Fool If You Think It's Over" | 17 | 10 | Pearls | A&M |
| 1982 | "Our Love" | 43 | 5 | Pearls II | A&M |
| 1982 | "Nights in White Satin" | 33 | 5 | Pearls II | A&M |
| 1983 | "Gasoline Alley" | 52 | 5 | Pearls II | A&M |
| 1986 | "No More the Fool" | 5 | 16 | No More the Fool | Legend |
| 1987 | "Break the Chain" | 55 | 3 | No More the Fool | Legend |
| 1987 | "We've Got Tonight" | 69 | 1 | No More the Fool | Legend |
| 1987 | "Too Much To Lose" | 127 | 1 | - | BMG |
[edit] Non-charting
| Year | Song | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | "Something's Got A Hold On Me" | - | Decca |
| 1964 | "Nothing Left To Do But Cry" | - | Decca |
| 1965 | "The Way You Do The Things You Do" | - | Decca |
| 1965 | "He's Gotta Love Me" | - | HMV |
| 1965 | "All Of My Life" | - | HMV |
| 1966 | "Baby Let Me Love You" | - | HMV |
| 1969 | "Come September" | - | NEMS |
| 1974 | "Rescue Me" | - | Island |
| 1975 | "Where Do We Go From Here" | Rich Man's Woman | A&M |
| 1975 | "He's a Rebel" | Rich Man's Woman | A&M |
| 1977 | "Saved" | Two Days Away | A&M |
| 1977 | "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man" | Two Days Away | A&M |
| 1978 | "Since You Went Away" | Shooting Star | A&M |
| 1978 | "Stay with Me" (Netherlands only) | Shooting Star | A&M |
| 1979 | "He Could Have Been An Army" | Live and Learn | A&M |
| 1979 | "Falling Star" | Live and Learn | A&M |
| 1980 | "Why Don't You Say It" | - | A&M |
| 1980 | "Paint Your Pretty Picture" | Pearls | A&M |
| 1980 | "Dance Away" | Pearls | A&M |
| 1981 | "Warm and Tender Love" | Pearls | A&M |
| 1982 | "Will You Write Me A Song" | Pearls II | A&M |
| 1983 | "I Just Can't Go On" | Pearls II | A&M |
| 1984 | "Minutes" | Minutes | A&M |
| 1984 | "Driftin'" | Minutes | A&M |
| 1984 | "Once in a While" | Screen Gems | A&M/EMI |
| 1988 | "Sail On" | Bookbinders Kid | Legend |
| 1989 | "Shame" | Inspiration | Telstar |
| 1989 | "You're the Inspiration" (Belgium only) | Inspiration | Telstar/Disky |
| 1990 | "I'll Never Love This Way Again" | Inspiration | Telstar |
| 1990 | "For The World" (withdrawn before release) | - | European Artists |
| 1991 | "The Last Teardrop" | Pearls III (Close to the Edge) | Freestyle |
| 1991 | "One Of A Kind (Belgium only)" | Pearls III (Close to the Edge) | Freestyle/Dureco |
| 2005 | "Out of the Rain" | Electric Lady | Swing Cafe |
[edit] Trivia
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Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones. |
- Her older brother, Tony Mansfield (Bookbinder) was the drummer for 1960's group Billy J. Kramer and The Dakotas.
- Brooks' first husband was Vinegar Joe bandmate Pete Gage.
- Her second husband Trevor Jordan is a renowned sound engineer and has worked alongside many major acts including Diana Ross, Andy Williams, Alice Cooper, The Who and Wings.
- Brooks is a keen student of the martial art of Aikido and practises on a regular basis.
- Brooks was a regular special guest on The Two Ronnies TV show where she performed many of her hit songs over the course of the series.
- In 1987 Brooks had Two Top 10 albums in the same week as a Top 5 Single in the UK charts.
- Brooks is given a thank you in the credits for Joan Armatrading's 1975 album Back To The Night where she was believed to have cooked for Joan and the Band in the studio.
- In 1973 Brooks sang uncredited lead vocals on "Love A Little Bit Longer", the b-side to the single "Dr Love" by manufactured band The Electric Dolls.
- After attending an audition at the Palace Theatre in Manchester in the early 1960's, Brooks was spotted and signed by impresario Don Arden, the father of Sharon Osbourne.
- Brooks was offered the title role on Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1976 concept album Evita. She refused the part which eventually became associated with Julie Covington.
- Elkie's 1989 single Shame is a cover version of the song that came third in that year's A Song for Europe, the British heat of the Eurovision Song Contest, where it had been performed by Jane Alexander.
- Linda Lewis is often mistakenly recognized as singing with Cat Stevens on the track "Remember The Days of The Old School Yard". However while Linda appears in the promotional video for the song the vocals were, in fact, recorded by Brooks.
- She has a song "Fool if you think it's over" on Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
[edit] Reviews
"Elkie Brooks is still one of the great British voices." [1]
[edit] References
- Denselow, Robin. "Arts reviews: Elkie Brooks", The Guardian, 9 Sep 2005.
