(1971), and his reputation as a Northern soul artist in the UK was secured by "A Little Piece of Leather", a performance highlighting his powerful falsetto voice.

He learned to play guitar and piano as a child, and in 1955 formed a doo-wop group, the Vibraharps, with friend Danny Cannon.

Elbert acted as the group's guitarist, songwriter, arranger, and background vocalist, making his recording debut on their single "Walk Beside Me".

[1] He continued to release singles on DeLuxe, but with little commercial success, and also played New York's Apollo Theater and toured the Chitlin' Circuit of African-American owned nightclubs.

Elbert then signed with Avco-Embassy, where he entered the recording studio with the successful production team of Hugo & Luigi.

Elbert was also involved in a copyright wrangle over Darrell Banks' major R&B and pop hit in 1966, "Open The Door To Your Heart".

For 1975's "You Keep Me Crying (With Your Lying)", Elbert formed his own label and "I Got to Get Myself Together", appeared on an imprint bearing his surname, but it was among his final recordings.