Touring is still ace for Paul Carrack

Paul Carrack, dubbed The Man with the Golden Voice by the BBC, will be playing two shows in Derbyshire this weekend.

The musician tours the UK every year but never tires of heading out across the country.

“I don’t get tired of touring, but I do get tired when I tour ’cos it’s hard work,” he said. “It’s physically demanding and you have to look after yourself.

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“But I’m enjoying it more than ever. I get standing ovations every night and you never get tired of that”

He plays at Chesterfield’s Winding Wheel tomorrow (Friday) and a sell-out show at Buxton Opera House on Sunday, neither venues too far away from Sheffield where he was born and bred.

Paul gave us How Long in the Seventies with his band Ace, has since been a part of Squeeze (he replaced Jools Holland on keyboards and was lead vocalist – and writer – on Tempted) and joined Roxy Music for a while.

He was then an integral part of Mike & The Mechanics, and it is his voice which features on the sublime Living Years and Over My Shoulder.

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Hardly surprising then that he earned the accolade of man with a golden voice in a recent BBC documentary.

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“It’s not a moniker I’d give myself, I wouldn’t be so presumptuous,” he said. “But it could be worse - they could have called me ‘the man with the rubbish voice’.”

Humility is a description that could sum Paul up. He is not a superstar by being hyped, he has managed it through sheer hard work and talent, and is humble about his own achievements.

When asked what he is most proud of in his career, he said: “I’m not proud of anything as such. I get on with what I do and try to improve.

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“Proud is not the right word,” he added. “I feel good that I’ve had a long career. But it’s nice to have a few hits under your belt and to have played with some great artists.

“After my tour, I’m doing a tour of Japan with Eric Clapton. I’ve toured with Eric many times and even though he isn’t touring as much nowadays, he has a particular affinity with Japan. I love touring with Eric and Japan is a very interesting place.”