Music legend Tony Christie has told how Courier Country will always hold a special place in his heart.
The 75-year-old celebrated his first UK number 1 single in Dundee in 2005 after taking to the Whitehall Theatre stage on the same day he hit the top spot.
Christie was already booked to appear in Dundee long before comedian Peter Kay used ‘Is This The Way to Amarillo?’ in an episode of his comedy show Phoenix Nights and events snowballed.
The Peter Kay effect eventually resulted in a unique collaboration when they teamed up to re-release the single for Comic Relief and it outsold the rest of the top 20 combined.
Christie told The Courier: “When the song was first released in 1971 it was a hit across the world but it only made the lower reaches of the Top 20 in the UK.
“My record company had no idea why it wasn’t a hit in the UK so the fact that it eventually made in here in 2005 was a nice feeling.
“I’ll always remember being in Dundee when the song reached number 1 although what happened that night is a bit of a blur.
“Once the song hit the top spot it was so manic and I was working seven days a week.”
Over the course of Christie’s 50-year career, which includes over 40 albums, 70 singles and countless live performances, he has sung thousands of songs.
He is now bringing his show back to Tayside with a performance at the Webster Theatre in Arbroath on June 4 as part of a national tour ahead of a new album later this year.
Christie said: “We wanted to play to audiences in places that we’d never been before and I’m really looking forward to the tour.
“There’s a different feel about playing in a small theatre and it’s like playing a show in someone’s front room.
“I’m pleased to still be performing and the good thing is that even at the age of 75 I’ve still got the voice I had when I started.”
Christie said his new material will surprise his fans and he’s been working with songwriters who have worked with the likes of Adele and Ed Sheeran.
He said: “There’s a different style about it and I think people are going to listen to it and think: ‘Is that Tony Christie?’
“But it’s a nice feeling to still be surprising people after all these years and I’m still enjoying it as much as ever.
“My fans are very loyal and I’m looking forward to seeing them in Arbroath next month – I can promise them all the hits and more.”
Tickets for Christie’s Arbroath date are on sale now from the Webster Theatre box office.
Memories of the time Tony swapped Amarillo for the Whitehall
I found myself backstage with Tony Christie in Dundee 13 years ago when he hit the top spot, writes Graeme Strachan.
The last time something like this had happened was in 1966 when The Troggs played Dundee’s Top Ten Club when they were number 1 with ‘A Girl Like You’.
Tony’s concert had sold out two weeks earlier after comedian Peter Kay had put the music legend firmly back in the limelight thanks to Phoenix Nights and Comic Relief.
There was even a waiting list for restricted view tickets such was demand as ‘Christie Fever’ whipped the city up into a frenzy.
The Whitehall Theatre phone was still ringing off the hook when I turned up with a photographer to meet Tony.
A tabloid newspaper set the bar high by turning up backstage with some Page 3 girls and a cake.
We had arrived to celebrate with some cheap plonk from Oddbins.
Fair play to Tony though, who handled the situation like a true professional.
Shaking a bottle of sparkling wine until it sprays like champagne for a front page photo is an achievement.
But Tony pulled it off and was extremely generous with his time afterwards.
Over the years Tony’s continued to sparkle and Arbroath fans are in for a treat.
