Born Elaine Bookbinder on February 25, 1945, Elkie Brooks performed with the bands Dada and Vinegar Joe, before embarking on a solo career spanning generations, and she will be singing hits from across the years when she plays The Grand theatre in Lancaster on January 24. Her first break came in 1960, when at the tender age of 15, she entered a very early reality type show at Manchester’s Palace Theatre that promised to put the winner on a national pop package tour. Elkie was that winner, and this was the start of her life on the road and year one of a 50-year trip. Known for her powerful husky voice and hits like Pearl’s a Singer, Lilac Wine, Don’t Cry Out Loud and Fool (If You Think It’s Over), Elkie gained her biggest success in the late 1970s and 1980s and has been nominated twice for Brit Awards. By 1997 she had achieved 15 hit albums and a new milestone was marked when the Guinness Book of Records confirmed Elkie’d had more top 75 albums than any other British female artist in the last two decades. Now in the fifth decade of her career, she is still one of the most powerful and versatile vocal talents of the modern age. In 2012, she released much anticipated autobiography Finding My Voice and re-released her highly acclaimed album Powerless. She’ll be performing some of her classic hits plus blues and jazz classics at The Grand on Saturday January 24. Tickets for the show, which starts 7.30pm, cost £23 and can be bought at www.lancastergrand.co.uk, or by calling the box office on 01524 64695.