Born in
Carshalton, Surrey, Okin has lived in
Notting Hill since he was six years old. He holds a degree in philosophy from the
University of Kent at Canterbury (1968) and worked as a schoolmaster for 11 years before being invited on a 1979 tour with
Paul McCartney & Wings. By that time, he had reached the level of deputy headmaster. Okin 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 a 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 tour with Wings which prompted him to pursue his musical career full-time. He also began to perform at jazz festivals. In 1981, he appeared on
Parkinson 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. Fans' favourite comedy songs of his are "Mango", "Bessie" and "My Room". In 1983, he began to perform at the
Edinburgh Festival Fringe where he performed over 500 shows. However, hating what had become of the Fringe, he ceased performing there in 2000. on 10 January 2016 Okin continues to work as a songwriter and jazz singer/musician, with a particular interest in
Bossa Nova. He gives concerts in Brazil from time to time, as well as touring his one-man show, a mixture of music and comedy, worldwide. He has performed in New York at
Birdland,
The Apollo and other jazz venues, but, not forgetting his comedy side, also at
Caroline's. In addition he toured India, Singapore, and other nearby countries. He has also performed at most major venues in London, including Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club, the
Royal Albert Hall and
Royal Festival Hall,
The Palladium and
Wembley Arena. Okin has performed on TV in several countries, including Brazil, Australia and Germany. Apart from self-published
LPs, he has had CDs issued by the
Bertelsmann Music Group in Germany and Austria and
Sony in the UK. He has completed two CDs, one of Jazz and Bossa Nova,
Bossa Britanica, and more recently a CD of his songs in various genres called, after the recording studio,
Songs From A Garden Shed and a similarly named follow-up album. In 2012–13, Okin completed his autobiography, ''Earl's Caught
, and a musical (in conjunction with the late Jackie Skarvellis), called A Harlem Story''. He has also written a six-movement symphony. In 2017 the biographical documentary
Who is Earl Okin? was presented in festivals and selected theatres. ==Discography==