Elkie brooks biography of williams
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Her 1981 album ‘Pearls’ was in the charts for 79 continuous weeks and went on to sell over a million, making Elkie Brooks the biggest selling female album artist in the history of the British pop charts at the time. 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.
Elkie Brooks is a patron of International Animal Rescue.
Life and career
Brooks was born in 1945 as Elaine Bookbinder to a Jewish father and Catholic mother in Broughton, Salford and raised in Prestwich. After a time as backing singer with the American southern boogie band Wet Willie, she returned to England.
Brooks was offered "Don't Cry For Me, Argentina" but turned it down. It wouldn’t be her last. By the end of the 60s, she was singing jazz with Humphrey Lyttelton’s band and a few short years later had channelled her inner rock chick, and was now co-fronting the band Vinegar Joe alongside Robert Palmer. But Elkie Brooks is more than just a voice-she is a survivor.
The hits "Pearl's a Singer", "Sunshine After the Rain" came from this album. If chart success was hard to come by at first, the reward for her perseverance wasn’t far away.
Elkie Brooks - Pearl's A Singer
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1977 brought the belated chart breakthrough that reshaped Brooks’ career.
Step into the world of Elkie Brooks-where passion meets perseverance, and music becomes timeless.
A Pearl Of A Singer: Enduring Vocal Stylist Elkie Brooks
The great British vocal stylist Elkie Brooks was born Elaine Bookbinder in Salford on February 25, 1945. Not only has she been prolific in the studio she has also continued to tour, performing live in almost every major UK theatre with sell out runs at such prestigious venues as the Palladium, the Royal Albert Hall, Wembley Arena, Ronnie Scotts and she even shared the bill with the Beach Boys and Santana at Knebworth in 1980.
Elkie Brooks Biography: Celebrating the Life and Career Legacy of a Female Rock Star - The Story of Britain's Blues Queen (Paperback)
Elkie Brooks: The Voice of Passion, Power, and Perseverance
A Journey Through the Life and Legacy of Britain's Blues and Rock IconFrom the smoky jazz clubs of Manchester to the electrifying rock stages of the world, Elkie Brookshas defied expectations, broken barriers, and carved out a career that spans over six decades.
In 1980 Brooks performed at the Knebworth Festival with The Beach Boys, Santana and Mike Oldfield.[2]
Brooks' success landed her in the Guinness Book of Records as the most charted British female album artist of the last 30 years.[citation needed]
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.
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 Brooks began singing professionally in 1960. They formed fusion rock outfit Dada, who changed into Vinegar Joe with the addition of Palmer. 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. And the work rate didn’t let up: over the course of the next 25 years, she has released some 20 albums.
She is known for her powerful husky voice. For fans of rock, blues, and powerful female voices, this book is a celebration of an artist who never stopped evolving, never backed down, and whose music continues to inspire generations. Brooks wrote some tracks with Leiber and Stoller.