Vinegar Joe's Elkie

She's one the greatest female vocalist and especially that was the case in the mid-seventies. She's got the look and she's got the voice, but even so, she never hit the real big time. I still wonder why. Elkie Brooks!

All of those things came to my mind while I once again was updating Rockweb site. During the past year or so I had bought three Elkie's vinyl record, but somehow just passed them. I shoved them into the shelf and forgot. But yesterday it was time to update and I thought why not. Rich Man's Woman was the name of the game.

I wasn't too delighted. The album wasn't bad at all but something was missing. Great songs. Elkie gave her best on every track but unfortunately somebody forgot to wrote excellent tunes for her. Backing musicians weren't too genious either. Should I say, bad producing.

However, something else came in. Before I knew I was recalling my younger days and the first time I ever saw Elkie Brooks. Alive. Amazingly alive!

Summer 1973 and August and the famous Ruisrock Festival in my hometown Turku. It was my first time ever in any festival so I pretty much didn't know what to expect. It was quite boring until the stage was filled with some long-haired guys and a doll: Vinegar Joe. Ya, there were these guys but it was all about Elkie from the first note to the end. What a rock 'n' roll princess!

She filled the stage and stole the show. Perhaps that was (at least one of) the reason why later in the evening Roy Wood — festival's star and the last performer — was so completely frustrated that he heaved his guitar away and left the stgae in deep anger after some 2 minutes show... :-D

On the next day the local newspaper Turun Sanomat were full of Elkie Brooks, of course. I was enthusiastic also and so much under the spell I clipped all of those pics from the paper and put them into my diary. You can see them here now.

Lookin' them pics now, some 30 years later, makes me feel very... nostalgic. It's like it all happened yesterday. I can almost taste the salty wind that came from the strait of Ruissalo and feel the hot sand we were dancin' on. Those glory teen days. I even lost my... religious pendant (golden necklace) on that day.

So today I have three Elkie's vinyl. No, she does not challenge Janis on those records, not even Maggie Bell. She weren't lucky enough to meet some great producer and brilliant songwriters on her career. It's so pity.

But I have my memories and I have my pics. And the next thing I'd love to find is that Vinegar Joe's vinyl record Six Star General. Play me Black Smoke Rising from the Calumet and I'm happy.

Thank you, Elkie.

·   On Rockweb site:   Elkie Brooks – Rich Man’s Woman