CHARLIE GRACIE, one of the world’s great rock ’n’ roll legends, returns to the Liverpool stage this week as the star guest in Bill Kenwright’s “rock ’n’ roll feast of fun, The Concert They Never Gave.

The last time the legendary guitarist headlined in the UK was at the London Palladium and the Hippodrome, back in 1958.

Preceded only by Bill Haley, Charlie is renowned as a mentor of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Van Morrison, and is headlining at the Empire from tonight until Saturday.

Gracie will be performing live in person in the show that recreates the finest American pop stars of the 50s and 60s.

He will accompany soundalike tributes to Roy Orbison, Gene Pitney, The Everly Brothers and other acts from the golden era of rock ’n’ roll.

He says: “I’ve been around for a long time. I played the Liverpool Empire theatre – are you ready for this – 51 years ago when I was a kid and I always found British audiences exceptional.

“I contacted my agent and said I was ready to go on tour and he wanted to know if I’d be available to do the show at the Empire. I said ‘Are you kidding? – that started the whole thing off!

“I had more hit records in the UK than America.”

In the Empire audience that night in 1958 was a 16-year-old Paul McCartney, who went on to cover Charlie's hit song, Fabulous, on his 1999 album Run, Devil, Run.

George Harrison also became a huge fan, describing his guitar playing as “brilliant”.