RALPH McTell swaps the streets of London for the streets of Winchester this week with a double date in the city.

McTell is currently supporting the release of his new album, National Treasure, which is a collection of his interpretations of classics from the likes of Woody Guthrie, Big Bill Broonzy and Eric Bibb.

"My original motivation for wanting to play the guitar was the sound of the American steel strung acoustic dreadnought," he says.

"My musical journey introduced me to a wonderful assortment of artists from Woody Guthrie to Big Bill Broonzy, from the Carter Family to Mance Lipscome, Ramblin' Jack Eliot to Reverend Gary Davis. My guitar teachers, long dead before I discovered them, included Robert Johnson, Blind Lemon Jefferson and the incredible Blind Arthur Blake. These men all played wooden bodied guitars."

McTell's live show includes music interspersed with anecdotes and memories from 25 years in the music business.

Tower Arts Centre, Winchester , November 11 & 12. Tickets: £15. Box office: 01962 867986.