Sir Rod Stewart fans will gather together in Leicestershire this weekend to celebrate the great man’s 80th birthday. The two-day celebration will take place at the Sketchley Grange Hotel, in Hinckley, today (Friday, January 10) and Saturday, and is organised by a county-based fans’ group.
Organiser Ian Roberts said it would feature tribute acts as well as a number of fans dressing up as Rod at various stages of his 50-plus year career. Ian, who lives in Huncote, near Blaby, said: “I started the club back in 1999. We get together once a year for three days for what we call our Big Weekend. It attracts people from all around the world.
“This isn’t a full Big Weekend this time around because it’s only over two days. It’s a case of any excuse to bring people together and we wanted to do something to celebrate Rod’s 80th birthday. We get people of all ages, from young to old. Rod’s sister Mary is 96 and she’s attended every year for the past 20 years.
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“The people who were in their 40s when we first started doing this are in their 60s now. Some come along as Rod look-alikes but they don’t wear the Spandex anymore.”
Sir Rod’s music career began in the early-1960s and included stints in a number of bands, most notably perhaps, The Jeff Beck Group and Faces. He launched his career as a solo artist in the Seventies and has sold an estimated 120 million records worldwide.
Ian added: “In the 1970s he was the quintessential rock star. He’s done a lot of covers over the years but sometimes people forget he’s a great songwriter too – Maggie May being the most obvious example.
“He has always been very shrewd about the music he chooses to cover. He’s just done a Swing album with Jools Holland for example. There are so many genres he’s tackled, there’s very little I can imagine he couldn’t do.”
This weekend is sold-out but others are planned in the future, Ian said. He added: “We’re not the official fan club but Rod has supported us in the past by donating items, including signed photographs, for auction. I’d estimate we’re approaching £200,000 raised for various charities since 2004.”
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