WORCESTER folk will be feeling 'Only Sixteen' tonight as the man who once topped the bill with The Beatles comes to the city.

Fifties teen heart-throb Craig Douglas - who had no fewer than 11 top 10 hits - will be taking to the stage at the Coppertops in Oldbury Road, St John's, at 7pm, marking his 46th year in showbusiness.

Isle of Wight-born Douglas rocketed from obscurity to the top of the UK charts in 1959 with his second hit - the million-selling Only Sixteen - after winning a local talent contest at the age of 15 while he was still a milkman.

The catchy tune followed his debut hit A Teenager In Love and remained at the top spot for six weeks.

The 64-year-old star - who has been performing ever since - says the number still goes down a treat with audiences, nearly 50 years on.

He said: "When I do shows and people say to me, 'I remember Only Sixteen was a big hit for you because I was doing such and such at the time' it brings back memories for me, which is good."

"When I first started I thought it'd only last a couple of years but the 60s went on and then came the 70s, 80s and 90s.

"I think the big fact was the music in the 60s was so simple and written with a few chords and recorded in something like three hours. These days it'd take three months.

"I'm still asked to work though so I'll work - I'm coming up to pension age now but I still enjoy it, which is the main thing."

Further hits followed, including Pretty Blue Eyes, The Heart Of A Teenage Girl and Our Favourite Melodies, and he went on to sell more than five million records.

The advent of The Beatles - whom he was once backed by at the Liverpool Empire in 1962 - saw the focus shift to groups who recorded their own material and saw Craig move into film, television and theatre.

Over the years he performed for American troops and played a whole host of prestigious venues including London's Caf Royal, Hong Kong's Mandarin Hotel, cruise ships - and even a bull-ring in Spain in 2001.

He also appeared with Helen Shapiro in their hit touring show from 1988 until 2002.

More recently the London-based musician has completed a Solid Silver Sixties tour with Showaddywaddy, John Leyton and Freddy Cannon.

And he is currently doing three variety shows a week in places such as Weston-super-Mare and Weymouth and is off to Spain later this month on the cabaret circuit, before performing on a cruiser in October.

His Worcester gig has been organised by John Banner, of Malvern-based John Banner Promotions, who has been running charity concerts and cricket matches in Worcester for the past three years.

He said: "I think to get what you might call a star from the 50s and 60s to come and do a concert in Worcester says it all really.

"Our events always go down well and I think this'll be the same."

Tickets for tonight's show are £12.