Elkie Brooks
| Elkie Brooks | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Elaine Bookbinder |
| Born | 25 February 1945 |
| Origin | Broughton, Salford, Lancashire, England |
| Genres | Pop, rock, blues, jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Instruments | Vocals, piano, keyboards |
| Years active | 1960–present |
| Associated acts | Vinegar Joe, Robert Palmer, Humphrey Lyttelton, Dada, Wet Willie, Cat Stevens, Chris Farlowe |
| Website | elkiebrooks |
Elkie Brooks (born Elaine Bookbinder, 25 February 1945) is an English singer, a vocalist with the bands Dada and 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. 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. She is generally referred to as the "British Queen of Blues". By April 2012, Brooks had released more albums that had reached the top 75 of the UK album chart than any other British female artist.
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 from Kielce, Russian Poland. Her mother, who had been born to a Catholic family, converted to Judaism. She was raised in Prestwich. She attended North Salford Secondary Modern School.
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 13 years old. She first sang professionally at the age of 15, and her first record, a cover of Etta James's "Something's Got a Hold on Me", was released on Decca in 1964. Brooks spent most of the 1960s on Britain's cabaret scene, a period of her life that she did not particularly enjoy. In the mid 1960s she 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.
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