HE is the founding member and bass player of seminal blues-rock band, Free.

He wrote and co-produced their mega-hit, All Right Now and penned Robert Palmer’s hit record Every Kinda People.

His songs have been recorded by Joe Cocker, Chaka Khan, Rod Stewart, Three Dog Night, Frankie Miller, Etta James and Bob Seger among others.

One of his first gigs was opening for supergroup Blind Faith at Madison Square Garden and he’s played to tens of thousands of fans in stadiums all over the world.

But you can catch Andy Fraser right here in Hampshire – in an intimate gig to just a couple of hundred fans at The Railway on Thursday.

“I haven’t played these places for such a long time,” the Brit laughs from his home in California.

“I think it will be really cool. Although I like to live in the present there are those, many of them, that insist I play songs written 40 years ago! So there will be a few Free favourites, some stuff from the back catalogue of Chris Spedding (who is also playing) as well as lots of stuff from Tobi’s first and upcoming album.”

The tour is a showcase for Tobi, a British singer songwriter and the first act signed to Andy’s label McTRax Records.

Tobi played Isle of Wight Festival last summer with the rock icon as a special guest, a reminder of Andy’s appearance at the legendary 1970 festival alongside Jimi Hendrix, The Who and The Doors.

“The organisers had the good sense to fly us in by helicopter,” Andy reminisces. Flying over a crowd of they reckon nearly three quarters of a million people was the most unbelievable thing. When we went on stage we could feel the energy directed towards the stage. We matched the energy and gave it back. It really was one of the great experiences of my life.”

Currently working on a documentary highlighting the plight of the oceans and with an autobiography out, life has taken a positive turn for Andy, a cancer survivor who contracted HIV during his treatment for Kaposi’s sarcoma.

He reflects: “I’ve been near to death more than once and I just can’t believe how good I am feeling now.

“I feel like I’ve been given a second chance and I’m not wasting a moment.

“I feel completely energised – life is good.”