AN ENGLISH rock, blues, and jazz singer will be entertaining audiences with her anniversary tour as she heads to Basingstoke.

Elkie Brooks is at The Anvil on Sunday, October 9 with her 60th Year Anniversary Tour.  She is quite simply one of the most successful and popular singers the UK has ever produced, Elkie is a stunning performer and whatever she does, she does it best live.

Elkie began singing professionally in 1960 and the next few years were an education. She sang in cabaret clubs up and down the country, and found herself supporting the Beatles at their 1964 Christmas shows at Hammersmith Odeon.

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Her first hit was a version of Etta James’ Something’s Got A Hold On Me, on which a pre-Led Zeppelin Jimmy Page played guitar; she toured with The Small Faces, The Animals; by the end of the 60s, she was singing jazz with Humphrey Lyttelton’s band; and a few short years later had channelled her inner rock chick, and to co-front the band Vinegar Joe alongside Robert Palmer.

Her solo debut album Rich Man’s Woman was banned in some quarters because of its raunchy sleeve but it was her 1977 album Two Days Away that saw the blue touch paper truly ignite on Elkie’s career. The album featured her monster hit and signature song Pearl’s A Singer.

The hits kept coming: Fool If You Think It’s Over, Lilac Wine, Sunshine After The Rain, Don’t Cry Out Loud and her highest charting hit No More The Fool. Her 1981 album Pearls was in the charts for 79 continuous weeks and went on to sell over a million, making Elkie the biggest selling female album artist in the history of the British pop charts at the time.

Over the course of the next 25 years, she released some 20 albums. By 2012, she had more chart albums under her belt than any other British female artist.

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Still proving to be one of the most powerful and versatile vocal talents, Elkie will be performing some of her top hits, intertwining blues and jazz, so don’t miss the chance to see a truly great artist in action.

Tickets for Elkie Brooks are priced at £32.50 and £29.50 (includes £3 booking fee). Contact the Anvil Arts box office on 01256 844244 or visit anvilarts.org.uk.