NEWS
Elkie Brooks celebrates 80th birthday performing for Radio 2's Piano Room
25 February 2025
This morning on Vernon Kay’s BBC Radio 2 show the fabulous Elkie Brooks performed today - on her 80th birthday! - for Radio 2’s Piano Room month, accompanied by the BBC Concert Orchestra at the BBC Maida Vale studios.
Elkie Brooks performed her classic track - Don't Cry Out Loud, her new single - Ain't No Love, and a cover of Rag N Bone Man’s Human.
She chatted with Vernon about The Beatles, Eric Clapton, Guinness, and nearly giving up her dream of being a singer all together. Vernon also sang Happy Birthday to her and presented her with a cake from the team at Radio 2.
Vernon asks Elkie about looking after her voice
Elkie: I practice nearly every day at my piano and warm up the voice… if I'm doing a show, I always have a little practice and I do about ten minutes warm up before the soundcheck. You know, it's like anything, if you don't use it babe, you know?
Vernon: [Laughs] It's the hip wiggle that did it for me Elkie, I’ll be honest with you!
Vernon asked Elkie about her career
Vernon: Happy birthday... Those 80 years since you started performing, has every day been filled with performing, filled with great memories?
Elkie: Umm, some. But not all... Oh not all, you know. I can remember when I was up doing the cabaret circuit, I didn't particularly like that very much.
Vernon: Did you not?
Elkie: No, no, well I was doing songs that I wasn't very keen on at the time. I was told that that’s what you should do, but everybody was more interested in their scampi and chips rather than listening to little Elkie. So, I was thinking of maybe giving it all up, but then of course I met Humphrey Lyttelton, and I sang with his band for quite some time and he persuaded me to stay on in the business.
Vernon: When you were doing the cabaret circuit, you were on the same bill as The Beatles and the Rolling Stones and big bands like that.
Elkie: Well, no, no they certainly weren't on the cabaret circuit babe... No, this was at the Hammersmith Odeon. I managed to get a little job there doing my vocals of, I had a hit at the time, well a little hit, with an Etta James song, Something's Got A Hold On Me, so that's why they booked me, with a lot of other artists on the same show.
Vernon: Right. How was that? Talk us through that.
Elkie: Well, I mean it was quite difficult because nobody was really interested in anybody other than The Beatles really, you know? They were just interested in getting their ice creams and going to the loo and all that so no, nobody really took a blind bit of notice of anyone else. I think the Yard Birds were on that show as well, Eric Clapton was on the guitar.
Vernon: Please, just keep the names coming.
Elkie: Well, he never took any blinking notice of me anyway!
Vernon: Did you have a good time back then, was it a busy kind of period for you?
Elkie: Well not really because I was in the dressing room right at the top of the Hammersmith Odeon and I was mad on Guinness at that time, so I’d have like a couple of pints of Guinness and half a bottle of brandy and I’d go on...
Vernon: [Laughs]
Elkie: But of course, I don’t do that anymore darling!
Vernon: Two pints of Guinness and half a bottle of brandy?
Elkie: ... Oh yeah, but especially up north I was doing the cabaret clubs, you needed it honestly. They couldn’t read my blinking music for a start you know, and I wasn’t keen on the songs I was singing so, what can I tell you!
Vernon: Let me ask you a personal question, do you still like a pint of Guinness?
Elkie: Yeah, quite often, but I prefer red wine. And I love a drop of whiskey, I like good whiskey you know. Give me some Glenmorangie or Glen-Bollingie as I say up there!
Vernon asks Elkie about her lifestyle
Vernon: Do you think you led the rock and roll lifestyle if you were hanging out with all the names…?
Elkie: Well, it’s like anything... You can do lots of things in your 20s, but once you get into your 40s and 50s and 60s and 70s and [coughs] 80s… not a good idea, dear! I mean a little glass of wine here and there, little whiskey, but not too much, you know.
Elkie Brooks performed her classic track - Don't Cry Out Loud, her new single - Ain't No Love, and a cover of Rag N Bone Man’s Human.
Vernon asks Elkie about looking after her voice
Elkie: I practice nearly every day at my piano and warm up the voice… if I'm doing a show, I always have a little practice and I do about ten minutes warm up before the soundcheck. You know, it's like anything, if you don't use it babe, you know?
Vernon: [Laughs] It's the hip wiggle that did it for me Elkie, I’ll be honest with you!
Vernon asked Elkie about her career
Vernon: Happy birthday... Those 80 years since you started performing, has every day been filled with performing, filled with great memories?
Elkie: Umm, some. But not all... Oh not all, you know. I can remember when I was up doing the cabaret circuit, I didn't particularly like that very much.
Vernon: Did you not?
Elkie: No, no, well I was doing songs that I wasn't very keen on at the time. I was told that that’s what you should do, but everybody was more interested in their scampi and chips rather than listening to little Elkie. So, I was thinking of maybe giving it all up, but then of course I met Humphrey Lyttelton, and I sang with his band for quite some time and he persuaded me to stay on in the business.
Vernon: When you were doing the cabaret circuit, you were on the same bill as The Beatles and the Rolling Stones and big bands like that.
Elkie: Well, no, no they certainly weren't on the cabaret circuit babe... No, this was at the Hammersmith Odeon. I managed to get a little job there doing my vocals of, I had a hit at the time, well a little hit, with an Etta James song, Something's Got A Hold On Me, so that's why they booked me, with a lot of other artists on the same show.
Vernon: Right. How was that? Talk us through that.
Elkie: Well, I mean it was quite difficult because nobody was really interested in anybody other than The Beatles really, you know? They were just interested in getting their ice creams and going to the loo and all that so no, nobody really took a blind bit of notice of anyone else. I think the Yard Birds were on that show as well, Eric Clapton was on the guitar.
Vernon: Please, just keep the names coming.
Elkie: Well, he never took any blinking notice of me anyway!
Vernon: Did you have a good time back then, was it a busy kind of period for you?
Elkie: Well not really because I was in the dressing room right at the top of the Hammersmith Odeon and I was mad on Guinness at that time, so I’d have like a couple of pints of Guinness and half a bottle of brandy and I’d go on...
Vernon: [Laughs]
Elkie: But of course, I don’t do that anymore darling!
Vernon: Two pints of Guinness and half a bottle of brandy?
Elkie: ... Oh yeah, but especially up north I was doing the cabaret clubs, you needed it honestly. They couldn’t read my blinking music for a start you know, and I wasn’t keen on the songs I was singing so, what can I tell you!
Vernon: Let me ask you a personal question, do you still like a pint of Guinness?
Elkie: Yeah, quite often, but I prefer red wine. And I love a drop of whiskey, I like good whiskey you know. Give me some Glenmorangie or Glen-Bollingie as I say up there!
Vernon asks Elkie about her lifestyle
Vernon: Do you think you led the rock and roll lifestyle if you were hanging out with all the names…?
Elkie: Well, it’s like anything... You can do lots of things in your 20s, but once you get into your 40s and 50s and 60s and 70s and [coughs] 80s… not a good idea, dear! I mean a little glass of wine here and there, little whiskey, but not too much, you know.
