An Island Anthology 1967-1972: Vinegar Joe

Vinegar Joe are now famous in the annals of rock history as being the band that first brought to prominence two of Britain's foremost vocal talents of the 1970's, Elkie Brooks and Robert Palmer.

In 1963, Elaine Bookbinder left her hometown of Salford near Manchester, heading for London to try her hand as a professional singer on the UK cabaret circuit. The 15-year old singer was soon spotted by jazz musician Humphrey Lyttleton who invited her to join his band on a tour of British military bases in Germany.

The tour led to a longer spell of work with Lyttleton, which brought her a contract with Decca Records in 1964. Three singles for Decca were released before Elkie switched labels to EMI's HMV imprint in mid-1965, recording a total of four singles.

Although failing to chart, the releases did lead to her undertaking support slots for many top artists of the day, most notably The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix.

Elkie Brooks on the bill of The Beatles Christmas Show 1964!

After the release of the single Come September b/w If You Should Go for the NEMS label in 1969, Elkie continued to make a living singing all styles of music on the live circuit before joining the acclaimed 12-piece jazz-rock outfit Dada.

Dada incorporated a Stax-influenced soul feel to some of their material, which gave Elkie Brooks a chance to shine next to co-lead vocalist Paul Korda. Also in the band was a lead guitarist who had cut his teeth on the 60's R&B circuit with the legendary Geno Washington and the Ram Jam Band  by the name of Pete Gage who assumed the mantle of bandleader.

Dada recorded one eponymous album for Atlantic Records before personnel changes ensued with Korda departing to be replaced by former Alan Bown Set lead vocalist Robert Palmer.

Palmer had spent his formative years living on the Mediterranean island of Malta. Shortly after returning to England he performed with Scarborough based band Mandrake, before moving to London in 1969, replacing Jess Roden as singer in the R&B influenced Alan Bown Set. He recorded two albums with the band (The Alan Bown! for Deram label and Listen for Island Records) before accepting the invitation to join Dada.

The band fell apart within months of Palmer's arrival, mainly due to Pete Gage's dissatisfaction with the band's musical direction and the financially unviable nature of touring with a twelve-piece group.

Opting to form a new band, Pete Gage retained the services of Elkie Brooks and Robert Palmer (who doubled on rhythm guitar), whilst assembling a new ensemble featuring Steve York on bass, Tim Hinkley (ex-Jody Grind) on keyboards and Rob Tait (ex-Pete Brown's Piblokto!) on drums.

Adopting the name of Vinegar Joe, the new band soon became a major live attraction and swiftly secured a record contract with Chris Blackwell's Island label.

By late 1971 Vinegar Joe had entered Island Studios and began work on their debut album. Vinegar Joe was released in early 1972 and proved to be a strong debut.

By the time of the recording of the second Vinegar Joe album Rob Tait and Tim Hinkley had departed the fold. Tait had been replaced by John Woods and Hinkley had been replaced briefly by ex-Renaissance keyboard player John Hawken, who in turn gave way to Mike Deacon. Rock 'n Roll Gypsies (released in late 1972) was perharps the strongest Vinegar Joe album.

The album led to an appearance on the BBC 2 show The Old Grey Whistle Test, featuring a film of a live performance of No One Ever Do, which brought the band to an even wider audience.

Vinegar Joe performing on The Old Grey Whistle Test at the BBC in 1973

Throughout 1973 Vinegar Joe were one of the hardest working acts on the live circuit, consistently touring Europe, mostly in support slots. Such intense touring took its toll on the line-up once more with the departure of drummer John Woods.

His replacement Pete Gavin had been in the band only a short time before Vinegar Joe entered CBS Studios in London that August to record what was to be their last album. The resulting Six Star General was released in November 1973.

Elkie Brooks initially undertook session work before signing to A&M Records in 1975 as a solo artist, releasing Rich Man's Woman later that year. The album also featured Pete Gage who had become her musical director.

Elkie went on to become a successful solo artist in the late seventies with a string of hits such as Pearl's A Singer, Sunshine After The Rain and Don't Cry Out Loud. She continues to enjoy popularity, having recently completed an extensive sell-out UK tour at the time of writing.

Robert Palmer remained signed to Island Records as a solo artist, releasing his first solo album Sneakin' Sally Through The Alley in 1975. A series of chart albums began with the release of Some People Can Do What They Like in November 1976, along with singles chart success beginning in 1978 with Every Kinda People. He sadly died of a heart attack in Paris in September 2003 at the age of 54.

Mark Powell (extrait du livret de la compilation Strangely Strange But Oddly Normal: An Island Anthology - 2009)

Voir aussi :

• An Island Anthology 1967-1972: The Alan Bown (livret de la compilation Strangely Strange But Oddly Normal: An Island Anthology - 2009)
• The Story Of Vinegar Joe (Classic Rock - 2019)