Former Smokie guitarist Alan Silson is launching a solo career.

The Ilkley-based performer has set up his own record label since he left the chart-topping band. And now he is recruiting musicians to put together his own band.

He would like to model himself on someone like Tom Petty who is a solo artist but whose backing band The Heartbreakers are well known in their own right.

Alan has already had a taste of performing under his own name rather than with Smokie - as a guest musician playing with fellow veteran rocker Suzie Quatro.

"I've known her for years. We used to do Top of the Pops together in the early days and we were all part of the Chinn and Chapman stable," said Alan.

"We did about 12 gigs last year in Europe. It was just a thing we did as friends. I was the special guest and came on to do about half a dozen songs. I was more frightened than I was going on with the band.

"Smokie were very big out there but I wondered whether anyone knew me as an individual name. I told Suzie, 'If no-one claps I'm going to walk straight off the other side of the stage!'

"In the end it was fine. I would walk on to a Smokie song and we did two Smokie songs, two of her songs and a couple of rock 'n' roll songs."

Alan was a founder member of Bradford band Smokie, who now have only Terry Uttley left from their original line-up.

They were best known for Seventies hits like Living Next Door To Alice and Needles and Pins.

But Alan, who has released a CD on his new record label - called Ilkley Moortown - celebrating Bradford City's promotion to the Premiership, wants to concentrate on new material as a solo artist.

"I'm trying to get away from the old stuff. Chris Norman is going around as a band and Smokie are still going around and I want to do my own thing. Getting in new members of the band will change the sound anyway," he said.

Alan is flying to a studio on the Swiss-German border later this month to record some songs for a producer who is impressed by the former Smokie man's new material.

Simon Ashberry

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