Skegness homecoming for Graham Bonnet

The ex-Rainbow frontman, now based in the US, left Skegness in the mid-60s for London where he formed The Marbles with his cousin Trevor Gordon (Grunnill).

The duo had a major chart hit in 1968 with Only One Woman, penned for them by the then up-and-coming Bee Gees brothers Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb.

As a solo artist and frontman for such acts as Rainbow, Alcatrazz, Impellitteri, and the Michael Schenker Group, Graham Bonnet’s career has seen him work with some of the biggest names in rock.

Of next week’s gig, he said: “I’m coming home. It was important for me to play in my hometown this year because Skeggy means more to me now than ever.

“My dear brother Tony Bonnet passed away a little over a year ago and it made me realize that you can take the boy out of Skeggy but you can never take Skegness out of the boy.

“It all started here and I want to pay tribute to my friends and family.”

He added: “I want this gig to be a more intimate affair allowing me to be interactive with the crowd and reconnect with the people that helped me launch my 50-year career. This is a special show as we will be playing songs that are not included in the rest of this UK tour.”

Graham plays The Suncastle, in North Parade, on Wednesday, at 7.30pm as part of a UK tour with his new band, The Graham Bonnet Band.

Tickets, priced at £15 plus booking fee, are available from www.wegottickets.com