SINGER songwriter Roger Davies is not doing bad for a local lad - in fact he is strumming up a reputation for himself.

The 37-year-old from Brighouse has just turned professional, given up the odd-jobbing that helped sustain his music, and is all set for a dream to come true when he joins the folk world's legendary Fairport Convention on tour in the New Year.

Mr Davies' big break came when a friend put a copy of his last album Local Radio in the hands of Fairport Convention's bass player Dave Pegg who was so impressed by what he heard he invited him to open their UK winter tour shows, with 26 dates spanning from Inverness in the far north down to Cornwall in the south-west.

He said: "There was an element of luck to it. I've a friend who has written a book about the band, likes my music and passed on a copy of my latest album so there's some truth in it's not what you know but who you know! Lucky for me Peggy liked what he heard."

And added: "It's a great opportunity for me. I was self-taught. I only ever had a couple of lessons at the local music shop in Brighouse and it's not been embedded in my family like most people on the folk and acoustic music scene so it really is a rare opportunity for a bloke like me to go on this massive tour and widen my audience."

In October he will be playing with Skelmanthorpe Brass Band, one of the oldest brass bands in the country formed in the 1840s.

He said: "I can't read or write a note of music so I won't know any of their terminology but I'm sure we'll do just fine. If I get an idea for a song first, I just get on the guitar and record it on my phone and it goes on from there!"

Mr Davies, who lives in the Thornhill area of Brighouse, is already a recognised name on billings for festivals and concerts - next week he is performing at Purbeck Folk festival with Corfe Castle as his backdrop.

Live sessions and performances over the airwaves have also had critics from BBC Radio 2 describe his work as "unique and compelling" telling stories to music about life - his home town of Brighouse and neighbouring Bradford also gets a mention.

Last year year he also helped raise thousands of pounds for the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal with his fundraising single Wear Your Poppy With Pride and his other track 1,000 Tears was used as the soundtrack to the West Yorkshire Road Safety Partnership’s Anti Drink Driving Campaign at Christmas.

Next month he will be performing two gigs in Bradford, both at Glyde House - home to the world's longest running Folk Club, The Topic, where he will be making live recordings for his next album - Live In Concert, due to be released in March.

The dates are Thursday, September 10 at The Topic then Friday, September 11 but only a few tickets are left.

He said: "I could have chosen lots of different venues but the Topic Folk Club was one of the first folk clubs I'd ever been to. They have enjoyed my songs and have kept inviting me back. It's a small space, it's not a grand affair, but it'll captures the mood and atmosphere perfectly," he said.

Visit his official website at www.rogerdaviesmusic.com