MARTY Wilde tops a Swindon-bound bill of stars from the dawn of British rock’n’roll.

His Rock’n’Roll Party reaches the Wyvern Theatre on Wednesday, November 5.

Marty, whose hits in the late 1950s and early 1960s included Rubber Ball and A Teenager in Love, is joined by fellow stars of the era Eden Kane and John Leyton.

Marty, 75, has performed here many times in the past, but another connection with Swindon dates back to the mid-1960s, when the Marty Wilde Trio included a certain Justin Hayward.

“I think it’s a lovely area,” said Marty. “It’s always a pleasure to go there and a pleasure to be in front of those people again.”

The Rock’n’Roll Party is unapologetically nostalgic.

Marty said: “It’s designed that way for people who like music from the 50s up to the mid-60s. It’s just people going back to relive for a couple of hours the phenomenal times that they lived through.”

Marty, whose daughter, Kim, became a star in her own right in the 1980s, first found fame during the rise of rock’n’roll in the 1950s.

“In those days it wasn’t given a great deal of radio time. You’d go out to where rock and roll records were being played, and then they had some of the commercial stations abroad playing it.

“There was a film called The Blackboard Jungle. The music at the beginning was Rock Around the Clock [by Bill Haley and his Comets]. Once all the young people heard that rhythm...

“We’d been listening to big bands for years, and old-style crooners. Young people wanted something more.

“I’d always been singing since I was a youngster – singing around the house. I formed a local group and we used to play skiffle music. I just went from singing skiffle songs to rock and roll. I’d learned to play guitar before and the thing took off.”

For a man whose career is firmly rooted in early rock’n’roll, Marty has eclectic tastes. He listens to everything from opera and classical to new tracks by up-and-coming acts. I like people who are considered the best at what they do.”

The show starts at 7.30pm and tickets are £26.50. Call 01793 524481 or visit swindontheatres.co.uk.

– BARRIE HUDSON