Elio's glad to be back in Swindon (From This Is Wiltshire)

Elio's glad to be back in Swindon

4:24pm Tuesday 19th January 2010 in

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AFTER touring with Albert Lee and Hogan’s Heroes for more than three years, Elio Pace decided it was time to call it a day and focus on his own band.

Then he got a call from Terry Wogan which changed everything.

“He asked me to be the musical director on his new radio show,” said the 41-year-old, who is performing at the Arts Centre on Thursday at 8pm.

“He is a legend, a national treasure, and he’s asked me to work with him. It was an opportunity that I couldn’t turn down.

“I feel so honoured to have been approached by him.”

Elio and his band will be the house band on Sir Terry’s show, which starts on February 14, and will accompany all of the big name acts that perform as well as showcasing their own work.

“We’ll be performing three numbers every show and one of those will be an original track,” he said.

“So I’m not only going to be working with some of the biggest names in the industry but I’ll also be performing myself. I’ve been a jobbing musician working for other people for such a long time, this really is a dream come true for me.”

Elio, whose parents emigrated to England from Italy in the 1960s, has always been a keen musician.

“I’ve always wanted to be a musician, both my parents are very musical and that influenced me from an early age,” he said.

“My music is like a bit of a mix tape, there is a little bit of everything in there.”

The singer has performed in Swindon on numerous occasions and is looking forward to his return visit.

“The Arts Centre is a lovely venue, I’ve been there a few times before but this is the very first time I’ll be doing it in my own right.

“I’m nervous about it but excited at the same time. Hopefully everyone will have a good time.”

Elio will be performing tracks from his new album, A Place At My Table, but promises there will be a few well-known hits too.

“I’ll be singing a few tracks that people will be familiar with,” he said.

“It’s a nod to the singers and songwriters that I admire and who have inspired me.

“And hoepfully it will really get the crowd going.”

Tickets for the show cost £15 and are available by calling the Arts Centre box office on 01793 614837.