A professonal singer since she was 15, Elkie 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 60s on
Britain's
Jazz scene, then met husband
Pete Gage and joined short-lived
Fusioneers Dada before forming
Vinegar Joe with
Gage and
Robert Palmer. After two albums, they split up in 1974, and
Brooks and
Palmer went solo. After a spell as backing vocalist with
American Southern Boogie band
Wet Willy, she returned to
England. Her well-recieved but commercially unsuccessful
Rich Man's Woman (1975) was a final flop before a run of 15
UK hit albums in 20 years, starting with
Two Days Away (1977) and the hits '
Pearl's A Singer', '
Sunshine After The Rain' and '
Lilac Wine'.
Then turning her attention to increasingly MOR collections, 'Shooting Star' (1978), 'Live And Learn' (1979), 'Pearls' (1982), the covers based 'Pearls II' (1982), 'Minutes' (1984), and 'Screen Gems' (1985) were all creditable successes, but a UK chart renaissance came with No More The Fool (1987). After that, Brooks has remained a popular live artist and returned to her roots with Nothin' But The Blues (1994).
Sources: Elkie Brooks Fan Club
www.elkiebrooks.co.uk/