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Elkie Brooks (born 25 February 1945, 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. Elkie Brooks is a patron of International Animal Rescue.
Brooks was born in 1945 as Elaine Bookbinder to a Jewish father and Catholic mother in Broughton, Salford and raised in Prestwich. She attended North Salford Secondary Modern School.
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. 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. 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. 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 (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 landed her in the Guinness Book of Records as the most charted British female album artist of the last 30 years.
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 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 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 then recorded by Julie Covington, and by others. Brooks also turned down the song " The Flame " it was then recorded by the band " Cheap Trick " it reached no. 1 in the U.S. and no. 1 in Australia.
Brooks' 20th studio album - Powerless was released in 2010 , featuring songs such as Prince's "Purple Rain" and Dylan's "Make You Feel My Love".
In 1978 she married sound engineer Trevor Jordan; they have two sons. Trevor Jordan has been Brooks's sound engineer since 1977.
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