ADMINISTRATION:
Celebrity
Drawings by John Moss
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Manchester
Popular & Rock Music (6 of 11)
Around Manchester and the Northwest
Region
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Elkie Brooks
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Elkie
Brooks
(b. 1946)
Elkie Brooks, who was born Elaine Bookbinder, on 26 February
1946, a bakery owner's daughter from Cavendish Road, Salford,
was almost certain to follow many of her family members into
show business.
Tony Mansfield,
her brother, was leader of the then well-known group, "The Dakotas";
another brother had a quartet.
Her uncle,
Nat Bookbinder was a bandleader in Manchester, and uncles Brian
and Alan were in the pop music business as a group called "The
Chapters".
She adopted
the stage name "Elkie Brooks" in the 1960s to make her way as
a singer of jazz and rhythm and blues music around the North
West of England, eventually joining Robert Palmer in the Vinegar
Joe group in the 1970s.
Though much
acclaimed, the group failed to grab headlines, and as a result
Elkie went on to release her own solo debut album 'Rich Man's
Woman', quickly followed up by 'Two Days Away'.
One song
from this album, 'Pearl's A Singer', became probably
her best known song. From this point she never looked back.
She began
to develop an almost cult following, and though rarely in top
listings during the 80s and 90s, she maintained a respected
position and devoted fan club, which has persisted till today
when she performs mostly live shows in clubs around the country,
with occasional big tour venues at National Concert Hall level.
Some of
her other best music includes: ·
- 'Only
Love Can Break Your Heart' ·
- 'The
Runaway' ·
- 'Fool
If You Think It's Over' ·
- Lilac
Wine' ·
- 'Love
Potion No.9' ·
- 'He's
a Rebel' ·
- 'No
More the Fool'
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Bee
Gees
Barry
Gibb |
Robin
Gibb |
Maurice
Gibb |
Jointly
known as the Bee Gees, Barry, Maurice, and Robin Gibb's career
began when the three gathered in a bedroom in their home in
Manchester, working out the natural harmonies that were to become
one of the distinguishing features of the Bee Gees' sound.
Their talents
were not exactly unexpected - their father, Hugh Gibb, was a
Manchester bandleader in his own right, and their mother Barbara
had been a former professional singer, so that music was already
in the blood.
So aged
6 to 9 years they began performing as "The Rattlesnakes" in
local cinemas between films. In 1958, the family moved to Australia
in pursuit of a warmer climate. The
family settled in Brisbane where the brothers Gibb continued
singing and song writing, performing at local racetracks, and
on radio and television.
In March
1960, they were given their own half-hour weekly television
show in Brisbane (Barry was only 13, and the twins were 10).It
was at this time that the Brothers became first the BG's (for
Brothers Gibb), and soon after the "Bee Gees".
In 1963,
they signed a recording contract with Festival Records in Australia,
and released their first Bee Gees' single, "Three Kisses
of Love".
They were
a virtual instant success and much in demand to perform at concerts,
on radio and television, releasing many records, and making
several abortive attempts at break-ups and solo careers. Inevitably,
they came back to each other, and seemed better as a group than
as soloists.
It was in
the early 1970s, probably as a result of working with Arif Mardin,
that the group changed direction and had instant success with
"Mr Natural" and perhaps their best remembered song,
"Jive Talkin". "Saturday Night Fever" which
became the biggest selling film soundtrack of all time, really
came as a result of the success of "Jive Talkin" and
threw them into the forefront of the world arena. They
were now the highest paid musicians in the world, a position
they held through the 1980s.
By the 1990s,
however, their style had changed little and fallen out of favour.
It was then that their attentions turned to song writing for
other well known performers, among them included best-selling
albums for Barbara Streisand, Dionne Warwick, Kenny Rogers and
Diana Ross.
It was
in the 1990s that Las Vegas welcomed the Bee Gees, and they
have had a successful live stage career there ever since that
time.
In 1997
they had a major American concert, "One Night Only",
filmed as a world-wide television spectacular and released as
a live CD, home video, and DVD. Also
in 1997, the Bee Gees were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall
of Fame and received Lifetime Achievement Awards from The American
Music Award, Brit Awards, German Bambi Awards, Australian Record
Industry, and World Music Awards.
They continue
to perform in Las Vegas today. Maurice Gibb tragically died
in LA in 2002.
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Take
That & Robbie Williams
Take
That |
Robbie Williams |
The "Brit
Pop" rave of the early 1990s, this talented Manchester-based
vocal group restored the ballad to the popular music charts.
In some
ways reviving the youth adulation which the Beatles received
during the 1960s, Take That became the role models for many
young people. Their clean cut wholesome music and image, complemented
by slickly choreographed on-stage dance performances was a winning
combination.
Despite
not actually playing any musical instruments, they topped the
music charts for several years.
However,
by the end of 1995 Robbie decided to leave and make a solo career,
amid a great deal of acrimony, and in April 1996 the group made
their last performance and split up.
When Robbie
Williams (who was actually from Stoke-on-Trent), ended his association
with Take That, effectively signing a death warrant to the group,
he also took what amounted to a big personal risk into possible
oblivion himself.
Other ex-members
of the group fared less well, including Gary
Barlow. However, he has proved to be a supreme pop performer
in his own right and confounded all the critics, with hit after
hit.
This success
has not come easily and at times has seemed rather tenuous,
with forays into drink, drugs, and promiscuity all highlighted
loudly in tabloid newspaper headlines.
However,
musically there have been very few setbacks. 'Freedom',
his first solo single sold more than a quarter of a million
copies, and later in 1997, his debut solo album, 'Life thru
a Lens' was received with tumultuous acclaim by music critics,
and is approaching quadruple platinum status at the time of
writing, thanks largely to the popularity of the track, 'Angels'.
The 1999
song, 'Let Me Entertain You' was very popular with record
buyers, and has virtually become his personal anthem, earning
large volumes of record sales, has received much critical acclaim,
and attracted a number of awards.
Despite
prophets of doom, his career promises to continue to prosper,
and he has won many awards for his music over the past few years,
having established himself firmly at the top of the so-called
Brit Pop music scene.
In recent
times, Take That have reformed, reached number 1 position in
the music charts again and seem to have regained their extensive
fan base.
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Sean Ryder
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Happy
Mondays
A group
of 6 musicians whose debut album should have been in the Guiness
Book of Records on account of its title alone : "Happy Mondays'
Squirrel and G-Man Twenty Four Hour Party People Plastic Face
Carnt Smile (White Out)".
The original
group included Sean Ryder (vocals), Paul Ryder (his brother
- bass), Mark Day (guitar), Gary Whelan (Drums), Paul Davis
(keyboards), and Mark Berry (percussion) - later they were joined
by the black singer, Rowetta).
Their music
featured strong dance rhythms and by 1990 they had reached the
UK's Top Ten, when "Pills 'N' Thrills And Bellyaches" reached
number 1 and established them as a major British band, hailing
from Manchester.
A great
deal of backing from Factory Records combined with a consistently
good output of music has kept the Happy Mondays in the forefront
of British popular music.
Other music
includes :
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Peter Noone
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Herman's
Hermits & Peter Noone
This British
band formed in 1963 and included Manchester-born Peter Noone
(lead vocals), Keith Hopwood (guitar), Derek Leckenby (guitar),
Karl Green (bass), and Barry Whitwarm (drums).
Noone came
to the forefront with his boyish looks and toothy smile, when
producer Micky Most saw him acting a cameo role in Granada Television's
"Coronation Street".
Working
under the new name of "Herman", Noone became the face of 1964,
and the group's musical offerings were to finally achieve 13
No.1 hits in America, as well as innumerable hits in the UK.
Most of
their records used session musicians, and Noone was promoted
as a star in his own right. Despite much adulation in the USA
for their clean cut image, they fared less well in Britain,
and by 1970, Noone went solo under his own name, and the band
effectively broke up.
Music included
:
- Mrs Brown
You've Got a Lovely Daughter
- I'm Henry
the Eighth I am
- I'm Into
Something Good
- There's
a Kind of Hush
- Oh You
Pretty Thing (Noone solo)
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