Earl Okin

Earl Okin
Simon Woolf (bass), Earl Okin (guitar) and Steve Rubie (flute) at the 606 Club on 10 January 2016
Background information
Born	(1947-01-31) 31 January 1947 (age 70) Surrey, England
Genres	Jazz, Bossa Nova
Instruments	Guitar, vocals (including mouth trumpet),piano
Years active	1967–present
Labels	Sony
Website	www.earlokin.com www.myspace.com/earlokin

Earl Okin (born 31 January 1947) is a London singer-songwriter, musician and comedian.

Born in Carshalton, Surrey, he has lived in Notting Hill since he was five years old, holds a degree in philosophy from the University of Kent at Canterbury (1968) and worked as a schoolmaster for 11 years before going full-time.

He was signed to the same company as The Beatles in 1966 and recorded his first single at Abbey Road in 1967. Some of his songs were covered during the 1960s by Cilla Black, Georgie Fame and Helen Shapiro, the latter recording now popular within the world of Northern Soul.

During the 1970s, Okin started to perform as support act in large venues, beginning with folk acts such as Ralph McTell and Fairport Convention, he progressed to open for such varied performers as Jean-Luc Ponty and Van Morrison. However, it was the 1979 tour with Paul McCartney and Wings which prompted him to pursue his musical career full-time. He also began to perform in jazz festivals.

In 1981, he appeared on The Parkinson Show and was invited by Nigel Planer to perform at The Comic Strip. This led to his second career on the "alternative comedy" circuit where he remains a headline act. However, his act continues to be primarily musical. He has never performed stand-up.