Elkie Brooks downed “a few pints of Guinness and half of a bottle of brandy” earlier than taking part in a present with The Beatles.
Elkie Brooks reveals her boozy antics earlier than supporting The Beatles within the ’60s
The British blues and jazz legend was amongst a number of stars to carry out at The Fab 4’s ‘One other Beatles Christmas Present’ on December 31, 1964, at London’s Hammersmith Odeon (now the Apollo), alongside the likes of The Yardbirds and beat band Freddie and the Dreamers, with the night compered by late, disgraced comic Jimmy Savile.
Talking to Vernon Kay as she marked her eightieth birthday (25.02.25) with a particular efficiency as a part of Radio 2’s Piano Room collection – accompanied by the BBC Live performance Orchestra – on the BBC Maida Vale studios, she was requested by the host if she had a “good time” on the star-studded festive gig.
To which, Brooks candidly replied: “Nicely probably not as a result of I used to be within the dressing room proper on the prime of the Hammersmith Odeon and I used to be mad on Guinness at the moment, so I’d have like a few pints of Guinness and half a bottle of brandy, and I’d go on…”
The ‘Pearl’s a Singer’ hitmaker insisted gig-goers have been solely involved in The Beatles.
She recalled: “I imply it was fairly troublesome as a result of no person was actually involved in anyone apart from The Beatles actually, you realize? They have been simply involved in getting their ice lotions and going to the john and all that so no, no person actually took a blind little bit of discover of anybody else. I believe the Yardbirds have been on that present as nicely, Eric Clapton was on the guitar.”
She mentioned of Clapton: “Nicely, he by no means took any blinking discover of me anyway!”
Brooks nonetheless loves a tipple, revealing her love for purple wine and whiskey, in addition to Guinness.
Requested if she nonetheless enjoys a pint of stout, she mentioned: “Yeah, very often, however I want purple wine. And I really like a drop of whiskey, I like good whiskey you realize. Give me some Glenmorangie or Glen-Bollingie as I say up there!”
Nevertheless, she doesn’t devour as a lot alcohol as she did within the day.
She mentioned: “Nicely, it’s like something… You are able to do plenty of issues in your 20s, however when you get into your 40s and 50s and 60s and 70s and [coughs] 80s… not a good suggestion, expensive! I imply slightly glass of wine right here and there, little whiskey, however not an excessive amount of, you realize.”
Brooks mirrored on beginning out taking part in the cabaret circuit, however admitted she wasn’t keen on these days, and practically referred to as it quits, till she was dissuaded by jazz star Humphrey Lyttelton to hitch his band.
Requested if “day-after-day has been crammed with nice reminiscences”, she mentioned: “Umm, some. However not all… Oh not all, you realize. I can bear in mind after I was up doing the cabaret circuit, I did not notably like that very a lot.”
She additional defined: “No, no, nicely I used to be doing songs that I wasn’t very eager on on the time. I used to be instructed that that’s what it’s best to do, however everyone was extra involved in their scampi and chips fairly than listening to little Elkie. So, I used to be considering of possibly giving all of it up, however then in fact I met Humphrey Lyttelton, and I sang together with his band for fairly a while, and he persuaded me to remain on within the enterprise.”
BBC Radio 2’s Piano Room month – Elkie Brooks’ efficiency is obtainable now on BBC Sounds and on BBC iPlayer from 6pm.
