Liam Grundy may not be the first name that pops into your head when you think of rock ‘n’ roll or country music but his love of the genres has seen him work with some of the most iconic musicians in the industry.

Romford Recorder: Liam and Scotty Moore.Liam and Scotty Moore. (Image: Archant)

The Manchester-born singer’s CV boasts sessions with the likes of Dave Edmunds, Scotty Moore and James Burton, and he’ll be channelling the sound of Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis in his gig at Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch, on April 16.

But were it not for a certain Scouse band Liam may never have discovered his passion for the Southern sound.

“You were sort of made aware of a lot of music by The Beatles,” said Liam. “I think they covered three songs by Carl Perkins and it made me journey back and see what had gone before.

“To me it always seemed to be around, it latched onto me a little bit and I started getting interested in that kind of music, not just for the past but also for what it can do today.”

Romford Recorder: Liam with Bully Swan and James Burton.Liam with Bully Swan and James Burton. (Image: Archant)

Liam, began performing in the ’70s when he was 18 but it wasn’t until the early ’80s when Dave Edmunds covered one of Liam’s songs, One More Night, on his album that Liam began to fulfil some of his childhood dreams – like working with Scotty Moore.

“Working with Scotty Moore and James Burton and recording at Sun Studios (where Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash recorded) was something I didn’t think I’d get to do – that came out of my association with Scotty and we were able to go in and record some tracks. Also doing Top of the Pops in about 1996 was good and a funny thing to do. I think that might have been the John Peel This Is Your Life episode.”

For the past 10 years Liam has been performing and recording with his four-piece band, which he jokingly refers to as The Carers due to the age gap between them, and audiences can expect the group to delve into a varied catalogue of Southern music.

“The show is basically an evening of music and some original songs that I’ve written.

“This particular band I’ve had since about 2007 and we sort of call it rock ‘n’ roll, country with a honky tonk heart – it’s the rockabilly end of country.

“It’s got a New Orleans vibe as well – it’s all my influences really.”

With a new album scheduled for next year, Liam has been busy recording in the studio and is looking forward to returning to the Billet Lane theatre stage.

“With the band we have built up such a huge repertoire over the years and we do stuff that people haven’t heard before,” he explained.

“We always love coming to Queen’s Theatre. I do think there’s something special about Essex and Havering.

“We always seem to do good business and the people like to come out to see live music. It’s always a positive experience when we do gigs out that way.”

Liam Grundy is performing at Queen’s Theatre, Billet Lane, Hornchurch on April 16. Tickets are £10.50. Call 01708 443333.