Brooks was born Elaine Bookbinder in Salford, to a Jewish family.[1][10][11] Her father's grandparents emigrated to Britain from Poland at the start of the 20th century to escape the pogroms. Her older brothers are Raymond Bookbinder and Anthony Bookbinder (Tony Mansfield of The Dakotas).
Whilst still a child, Brooks began singing at barmitzvahs and weddings; 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. Aged 15, she won a talent contest in Manchester, leading to her taking part in a pop package tour which was promoted by Don Arden.[11] 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.[12] 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. She also toured the then communist Poland with Jon Lord's the Artwoods.
In the 1960s, Brooks had begun singing jazz with Humphrey Lyttelton's band, but subsequently changed direction musically.[11] After she met Pete Gage, whom she would marry, she joined the short-lived blues rock[1]fusioneers Dada, before forming Vinegar Joe with Gage and Robert Palmer. Brooks gained the reputation as the wild woman of rock 'n' roll, due to her wild stage performances.[13] After three albums, Vinegar Joe split up in 1974, and Brooks and Palmer pursued separate solo careers. After a time as backing singer with the American southern boogie band Wet Willie, she returned to England.
Solo career and chart success
Elkie Brooks in Amsterdam, 1977Elkie Brooks in Amsterdam, 1977
Brooks' first solo album, released on A & M Records, was Rich Man's Woman (1975). It was released to critical acclaim, but the album's cover shot of a naked Brooks with a feather boa was considered outrageous for the time.[14][15]
In March 2003, Brooks participated in the ITV music talent show Reborn in the USA, alongside musicians such as Peter Cox and Leee John. The same year, the album Trouble in Mind was released, which saw her collaborate with Humphrey Lyttelton, with whom she had worked earlier in her career, and his Band. The album included "Bad Penny Blues" with added lyrics. The Electric Lady album (2005), produced by her son Jermaine Jordan, 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, Elkie Brooks & Friends: Pearls, featuring an array of guest musicians.
Brooks's twentieth studio album, Powerless, also produced by Jordan, 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 and Ireland.[21] In 2012, Brooks released her autobiography Finding My Voice, published by The Robson Press. In it, she detailed her life and career, focusing on her love of performing live and the downsides of the recording business, which she says has often left her financially no better off.[22]
In July 2017, after Brooks signed to Virgin EMI, the album Pearls - The Very Best Of, was released. It charted at No. 14, and included two new singles: "Love Ain't Something that You Can Get for Free" and the Bryan Adams-penned "Forgive and Forget." Later in the year, a remix of the 1979 album track "The Rising Cost of Love" was also released as a single. All three singles made it onto the Radio 2 'A' playlist, with "Forgive and Forget" being the network's "Record of the Week." Brooks promoted the album with several appearances on Radio 2 programmes, including the Aled Jones Show, and The One Show on BBC One. On 19 September that year, Brooks appeared at the London Palladium to mark 40 years since her first sell-out week at the venue in 1977. The show also celebrated her 40 years of success since the release of the single "Pearl's a Singer."[23]
The same year, Brooks recorded the closing theme song for the 2017 film Finding Your Feet, which starred Imelda Staunton, Timothy Spall, Celia Imrie and Joanna Lumley. The track, "Running to the Future," was released as a download-only single, and included on the soundtrack album.[24] Brooks' self-penned song "Just An Excuse" has been remixed several times, most notably appearing on the Bonobo album Migration in 2017. She has performed live since 1960; her 2021 tour, delayed from the previous year due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, was billed as her 60th Year Anniversary Tour.[25]
She is still touring, with concerts scheduled through 2023 and 2024.[26]
Personal life
In the early to mid-1970s, Brooks was married to guitarist Pete Gage. On 1 March 1978, she married her sound engineer, Trevor Jordan, who had worked with Diana Ross, Rolling Stones, Luciano Pavarotti, Sarah Vaughan and many others. They live in Devon and have two sons, Jermaine (born 22 December 1979) and Joseph (born 31 December 1986).[27] Between 1981 and 2002, they lived in a mansion in a secluded area of North Devon. However, in 1998, after her accountant informed her that he had not been paying her taxes, Brooks found herself in severe debt and was reduced to living in a mobile home. After four years of increasing interest bills and loans, Brooks managed to sell her home (after being threatened with repossession) and cleared all of her debts.[27] In 2000, Brooks' management and tour promotion was taken over by her son, Jermaine, and his wife, Joanna.[28]
