ONE of Nashville’s most enduring and prolific singer/songwriters, Tim O’Brien, is coming to The Beambridge Inn, near Wellington, as part of his UK tour.

Tim, who came to prominence in the 1970s with bluegrass supergroup Hot Rize, has since been on countless recording sessions, played with some of the greatest names in Country and Bluegrass music, and has also had his songs cut by the likes of The Dixie Chicks and Garth Brooks. He also appeared on the BBC’s seminal series The Transatlantic Sessions.

Nick Girone-Maddocks, one of the promoters for the event, said: “It is wonderful to have someone of Tim’s stature coming to play with us – he’s a real star to us and is the consummate performer.”

The band Nick plays in, locally based Thunderbridge Bluegrass Band, have worked hard to get better and better names to the up and coming venue. Nick said: “Tim has to be the biggest name yet we have promoted. He’s played with Steve Earle, Jerry Douglas and Darrell Scott, and they’ve played with him. He’s naturally one of our heroes.”

Tim has a new CD out called Pompadour, a mix of all kinds of styles but with an acoustic-roots thread throughout.

Tickets for the event on Monday, February 1, are £15 and have been selling well to the regulars of the Thunderbridge Promotions concerts but some are still left. Nick said: “It is sure to be a sell-out, so please buy your tickets early online or in person. The last concert we did there just before Christmas saw us turning people away who thought they could buy on the door. That’s a terrible situation because we really don’t like disappointing people, but the venue only seats 100 so only 100 tickets are available”

Tickets are available at Gibbins Richards estate agents in Wellington or online at www.thunderbridgebluegrass.uk