It's Friday the 13th - not a night to be in the home - most accidents happen there, don't you know.

So remove that pinny and run for the hills - destination Beaufort - for a night with country music singer and songwriter Raymond Froggatt, pictured.

Froggie, as he's known to his fans, is from Birmingham,l where he started life as a pipe lagger by day while by night he sang in pubs and secretly wrote poetry.

But his considerable talent might have stayed in the closet were it not for illness which was about to envelope him.

TB forced him to change his lifestyle and on his recovery Froggie decided to advertise for a band.

Four talented musicians responded and Froggie had his band - he called it The Monopoly.

Before long he had signed to three record companies: Polydor, Bell and Jet Warner.

Publishing houses also got in on the act and soon his songs were being sung by some of the biggest singers.

Cliff Richard and the Dave Clark Five have given voice to his songs and Barbra Streisand is currently recording another.

The Dave Clark Five had a top 10 hit with Red Balloon, and Froggy songs have sold in their millions for Leon Russell, Gladys Knight, The Byrds and a French film star called Mari Lafforette, plus top American country music stars including George Hamilton IV.

Froggie's latest home-sung album, The Shantytown CD, was release in May this year, featuring a collection of entirely self-penned songs

His current band consists of long-time associate Hartley Cain on guitar, Tony Bate on drums, and Allan J Crookes on bass.

* Hear them live in the Beaufort Theatre, Ebbw Vale tonight from 8pm. Tickets are £12.50. Dial 01495 350360 for the box office.