THAT cliché about a prophet without honour in his home town rings true for musician and songwriter Michael Weston King, who has a big following across mainland Europe but on Merseyside is largely, and undeservedly, unknown.

He did appear at the Philharmonic Hall in Liverpool as support for Nick Cave a handful of years back, but locally it’s Chester and Manchester where his fans flock – so far.

King was brought up in Southport – where he makes his “solo” debut this week – and attended the same grammar school as Marc Almond. As a teenager, his musical awareness was sharpened at Liverpool’s legendary Eric’s Club, in Mathew Street.

His first band, The Tradition, included the now impresario Chas Cole, who stages Liverpool’s Summer Pops. Later, Michael and Chas formed the duo Fragile Friends. He recalls that one of the biggest disappointments was when they missed appearing at Eric’s club because it had closed two weeks earlier.

“I still think on that,” said Michael, speaking yesterday on his way to Berkenfeld, in Germany, as part of his current European and UK tour.

King’s influences are certainly varied, ranging from those early pop idols to the stars of America’s country genre and then on to soul.

He set up the alternative country music outfit, The Good Sons, in the early 1990s, after a spell touring with Gary Hall and the Stormkeepers.

The new band also built up a formidable fan base and delivered four critically lauded albums, culminating in a double CD collection of their best stuff – Cosmic Fireworks – released in 2005.

That partnership wound up in 2001 and Michael has “run” mostly solo since. But, as his later albums demonstrate, he’s lost none of the “bite” he displayed with the band, as shown in particular on A New Kind of Loneliness and the 2005 issue, A Decent Man, which featured Ian McNabb, formerly front man for Icicle Works and another tremendous solo artist.

“It is fabulous that people like Ian and other musicians such as Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman guest on the albums,” said Michael, who revealed that on some occasions recently the respected pedal steel guitar player Alan Cook has accompanied him.

“And on this tour I’ve managed to bring together a collection of musicians who appear at certain shows, including Paul Hesketh on guitar and Mike Cosgrave on piano, who is also on the Loneliness album.”

* MICHAEL WESTON KING, at Southport Arts Centre, Friday, February 22. Tickets £10 from Box Office tel: 01704 540011 or see www.seftonarts.co.uk