Elkie’s nobody’s fool

This year Elkie celebrates her 70th birthday by going out on tour, stopping off at Lancaster Grand Theatre on Saturday, January 24.

Her distinctive voice is as deep and husky as ever and the woman born Elaine Bookbinder will treat her fans to classics including ‘Lilac Wine’, ‘Don’t Cry Out Loud’ and her 1986 top five hit ‘No More the Fool’.

Elkie was 13 when she did her first professional show in Manchester. She then spent most of the 1960s on the cabaret scene, even supporting The Beatles at their Christmas show in London.

In 1970s she formed the group Vinegar Joe, which also included Robert Palmer.

The band split in 1974 and Elkie released her first solo album a year later, ‘Rich Man’s Woman’.

Elkie went on to have more albums in the UK Top 75 than any other British female singer. Her 1982 concert tour was seen by more than 140,000 people in three months.

In 2003, she took part in ITV reality show Reborn In The USA in which British acts from the 70s and 80s tried to relaunch their careers in America, a series won by Tony Hadley.

In 2012 Elkie released her autobiography ‘Finding My Voice’ and a re-release of her highly acclaimed album ‘Powerless’.

The show on January 24 starts at 7.30pm.

Tickets £23 available from 01524 64695, www.lancastergrand.co.uk or by visiting the Grand box office on St Leonardgate during opening hours.