Al's a legend in his own backyard

He arrived to find the air filled with the sound of a bagpiper letting rip 50 yards up the street and no sooner had he slung his guitar around his neck and adjusted his harmonica grip than a team of workmen decided to erect the civic Christmas tree just behind him.

The scream of a chainsaw completely obliterated his warming up routine.

If he can tune that in to the key of E we should be all right, muttered Al, not phased one iota.

His trusty side-kick, Jean the Tea Chest Queen, didn't look quite so sure, but there again she is fairly new to this singing lark.

Al?

Well, he's been around for ages.

Back in the 50s I appeared at Birmingham Hippodrome on the same bill as Jim Dale and the Vipers, he announced.

But he went on to become more famous than me.

There are folk living around Al's home village of Mamble who might doubt that.

The man is a legend in his own backyard and although, sadly, The Hippodrome never invited him back, his publicity material lists appearances on Sky and Central TV, BBC, various local radio stations and assorted events such as the Three Counties Show, Ludlow Fringe Festival and Chorley Horse Show.

He has also been support act to names like Ken Dodd, Karl Denver and The Bachelors, although presumably not at Chorley Horse Show.

No! rejoined Al. That's when I was playing the theatres.

The day job was always a long distance lorry driver, but ever since his National Service stint in the RAF, when he learnt to play guitar and formed his own group The Danville Saints, entertaining has been his life blood.

In those days skiffle was king and although Al has more recently flirted with country music, he's never happier than when chugging along with a washboard beat.

People used to say I looked like Lonnie Donegan, he laughed.

I could see why, although Al's probably got more hair than him now.

The silver strands hang low and by his own admission, I look a bit of a tramp.

Appropriately, therefore, his walk-on parts on television - another string to his bow - have included playing tramps on Dalziel and Pascoe and The Paul Merton Show and a drunk in Casualty.

Admittedly not Oscar-winning stuff, but it keeps Al in guitar strings.

I'm a member of Equity, you know, he added.

Al Bowden has entertained in pubs, clubs and on stages all over the place, either on his own or with what he calls his "novelty group The Organic Hillbillys, who specialise in rustic anthems such as Where be the Blackbird to?

Ideal fodder for a Michael Jackson hip-hop version.

However, his career (Al's not Michael J's) was given a lift recently when he came across a lady called Jean Smith in the back bar of a Kidderminster pub.

Jean was co-opted by Al to wear a Stetson, pluck a string bass and become Jean the Tea Chest Queen, "the bestest gal you've ever seen.

She remains stoically smiling despite Al's frequent public references to her age, which would result in most women wrapping the tea chest bass around his head.

The pair cut a slightly incongruous sight in Worcester's High Street, attracting rather more curiosity than money.

We made £70 in an hour in Tenbury yesterday," called Al. We ain't made 70p in 10 minutes here.

Every year for the past 12, the Legendary Al Boden has been doing his bit for Children in Need, raising several thousand pounds in the process.

Last year he played up a tree at Mamble.

A place he almost certainly found financially more rewarding than outside the Guildhall.

Perhaps I ought to get up there, he laughed, pointing to the civic Christmas tree.

Then he eyed the bloke with the chainsaw.