Singer-songwriter Judy Tzuke speaks to FLICKY HARRISON about the importance of music to her life

Judy Tzuke is one of the UK's singer songwriters that make up the backbone of our music scene.

Constantly working, through writing, recording and performing, Judy has notched up 25 albums since her first foray into the British music scene with Welcome to the Cruise in 1979. Her hit single Stay With Me Til Dawn stayed in the charts for 16 weeks.

Her latest offering is Peace Has Broken Out, which took her a year to finish as she had real battles on the home front and a terrifying journey to undertake.

Judy said: "I had dramas in the home, my studio was not working, I moved house, and I was very ill, cancer, but I am healthy now. The album has songs that were written at that time, the first two tracks are about womanhood. It is an unusual album not like my last one.''

Judy will be singing songs from the album on her Songs & Stories tour which stops off in Swindon on Saturday, June 10, at the Arts Centre in Devizes Road, Old Town from 8pm.

"I talk during the transitions between songs, and the audience talks to me, I explain what some of the songs are about and I am happy for the audience to ask me questions,'' she said. "My audience come from an era where music was so important.''

The young Judy was a protege of Elton John and over the years she has worked with a number of big names including Fragma, Alesha, Mylo, Elaine Paige, The Swingle Singers, Morcheeba and Pop Idol's Gareth Gates.

"Gareth is much more talented than anyone realised. He was wonderful to me, I wondered how it would be working with him as I was older, but for a young guy he was just amazing. We wrote quite a lot of songs together and he sang on my album and did backing vocals for me at my gigs,'' said Judy.

Judy appeared on the BBC flagship music programme Top Of The Pops a number of times, and regrets its passing, but she embraces the new tech approach of Youtube and social media.

"I was so excited when MySpace started and music could be straight out there in the world and streamed on to the internet. Morcheeba contacted me through MySpace and I went on to write with them and then they asked me to sing on their album.''

Judy comes from an artistic background as her mum was an actress, playing small parts in shows such as The Goodies, The Rise and Fall of Reginald Perrin and The Marty Feldman Show. Her father, Sefton Myers (the family name of Tzuke was changed to fit in with the Yorkshire community, when the family came from Poland in the 1920s) was a property developer and a manager for artists and singers.

"Dad would have love to have been a musician,'' said Judy.

Instead he helped up and coming artists including Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice.

"He funded Jesus Christ Superstar and was sent the first draft of Joseph,'' she said.

Music is still being passed down through the family as Judy's daughter Bailey sings with her on stage.

Tickets to see Judy in action in Swindon are £25 from 01793 524481 or visit www.swindontheatres.co.uk - Flicky Harrison