BACK in 1989, Top of the Pops viewers were greeted by the distinctly odd sight of Marc Almond, the jewellery-bedecked, black leather-clad Soft Cell singer, duetting with a grey-haired middle-aged man who looked like he'd been playing a round of golf.

It was, of course, legendary 60s crooner Gene Pitney, and together he and Almond took an updated version of Pitney's 1967 hit Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart back to the top of the charts.

Only mums and dads might have known who he was, but the single helped introduce the old star to a new generation of fans.

The 62-year-old is now back on the road with a 21-date UK tour which brings him to The Pavilion, Bournemouth tonight and The Anvil, Basingstoke on Friday June 6.

Famous for his yelping vocals - heard to best effect on heartfelt ballads like the classic Burt Bacharach number Twenty Four Hours from Tulsa - Pitney has scored more than 20 hits in the UK since he released his first single, (I Wanna) Love My Life Away in 1961.

Competing against homegrown pop stars like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, the Connecticut-born crooner held his own in the British charts, actually faring better here than in his native USA.

After Twenty Four Hours from Tulsa - his first top ten hit - he notched up a string of hits including That Girl Belongs to Yesterday, I'm Gonna Be Strong, Backstage and Just One Smile.

Born in the small village of Rockville, he formed his own band, Gene Pitney and the Genials, and began composing songs inspired by the countryside. Later, he began singing with a girl called Ginny Arnell.

"We called ourselves Jamie and Jane. I knew, however, that I didn't want a professional career in music with only a first name or as half of a duet, so I moved on to record Cradle of My Arms the following year under the name of Billy Bryan.

"In fact, the record company wanted to call me Homer Muzzy. I decided it was time to start using my real name, Gene Pitney."

His early success was as a songwriter. Hello Mary Lou sold two million copies in America and Europe for Ricky Nelson, while Rubber Ball became a worldwide smash for both Bobby Vee and Mary Wilde.

Pitney soon realised he could sing his own songs as well as or better than the artists who were recording them.

His first single, (I Wanna) Love My Life Away was a shoestring recording featuring Pitney not only on lead vocals, but also backing vocals, piano, guitar and drums.

It wasn't until Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa, released in 1963, that Gene's fame spread worldwide. An unlikely beneficiary of his popularity was the Rolling Stones, whose endorsement by Pitney - a friend of Mick and the boys since co-starring on the TV show Thank Your Lucky Stars - helped them break the all-important American market.

In 1970, after spending a decade on the road, Pitney decided to cut back on his touring commitments.

"I had a family at home, two boys starting to grow up, and I was getting a guilt complex about not being there with them," he says.

"So I decided to make a six-month commitment to touring and spend the rest of the time at home with the family."

He compromised by cutting home dates and touring only outside the US.

"There is nothing more exciting to me than to get on that aeroplane and know I'm going to get off in a totally different country, in a different part of the world."

Pitney still lives in Connecticut, not far from where he was born, with his wife of nearly 40 years, Lynne.

He continues to perform throughout the world, with regular UK tours.

Gene Pitney is at the Pavilion Theatre, Bournemouth tonight (box office: 01202 456456) and The Anvil, Basingstoke next Friday (box office: 01256 844244).