UK chart hit is star's best birthday present

An ecstatic John Otway today said getting his first UK top 10 hit was the most fantastic birthday present he had ever had.

The former punk star – celebrating his 50th birthday – paid tribute to the die-hard fans who helped him reach number nine in the charts with Bunsen Burner, 25 years after his last musical success.

“My fans are the best, they are great and have supported me for the last 25 years, turning up at the 150 concerts I do around the country every year,” he said during a break in rehearsals for his celebratory gig at the London Palladium.

Otway found fame when his first single (Cor Baby That’s) Really Free, with Wild Willy Barrett, reached number 27 in 1977.

He was snapped up by Polydor but his next release – Geneve - failed to make such an impact and his career dive-bombed.

But today Otway could hardly contain his excitement as he exclaimed: “I’m a top 10 artist now and it’s one of the best days of my life. YES!”

Otway, whose birthday was on Wednesday, explained that his fans had asked him what he would most like for a present and he could think of only one thing - another chart hit.

The fans’ input began when they chose the song after Otway performed 12 songs at London’s Astoria in July.

The track which won was Bunsen Burner, which samples the 1977 hit Disco Inferno by The Trammps.

But Otway’s followers did not stop there, going on to sing B-side House Of The Rising Sun and then launching an enthusiastic Internet campaign to ensure chart success.

“We had about 1,000 fans who came along to the studio to sing after we asked for them to help with the backing vocals.

“We did them in batches of 300 and it took a whole day at the Abbey Road Studios.

“All of them have got their names on the single. I thought that way they would all buy at least one copy,” he laughed.

The backing choir will be among the 2,500 attending tonight’s bash.

Otway, who is originally from Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, but now lives in Wandsworth, south London, said that tonight’s sell-out performance at the Palladium was a way to thank the fans for their dedication and support.

“Tonight we are all going to party. It is a celebration. We are going to have a few drinks and be merry,” he said.

But as for what comes next for the born-again chart star, Otway is finding it difficult to look beyond his new-found fame.

“Everything was focussed on the single and how well it would do. Today is just for celebration. I don’t know what will happen next.”