Roots Of A Rock Star

Best-selling Scots band Texas may share a name with the US state but for lead singer Sharleen Spiteri, all roads lead to Glasgow

- MARIE PENMAN

DESPITE having lived in London for most of her adult life, and being part of a glamorous social circle that includes designer Stella McCartney, former footballer Thierry Henry and celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, Texas frontwoman Sharleen Spiteri is holding on fast to her roots.

"I'm Scottish through and through, and always will be," she says. "I might have a house in London, but Glasgow is my home."

Sharleen retains the accent, drive and determination the city gave her, and speaks excitedly about the two shows the band are playing at the Hydro in September, billed as The Very Best Of Texas, and already close to being sold out. The dates form part of a sizeable UK arena tour that prove Texas are still going strong after 38 years in the business.

"We work hard but, equally, we still love what we do," Sharleen says. "This is the best job in the world and most bands don't last as long, so we're thankful for that. I still get a real thrill out of playing live, whether in a big arena or a more intimate venue.

"In fact, I probably love it more now than I did at the start when I was just a teenager, and the whole thing seemed so new and hard to get used to."

Texas formed in Glasgow in 1986 when Sharleen, then working as a hairdresser at stylish salon Irvine Rusk, was approached by seasoned musician Johnny McElhone, formerly of Altered Images and Hipsway, who had heard she could sing.

That's something of an understatement. Sharleen has the kind of voice that could melt butter, smooth and seductive, with a depth and tone that has improved with age (she's now 56). Think of the best female Scottish vocalists of the past 50 years and Sharleen would surely be up there.

This voice, combined with the songwriting skills she shares with Johnny, the band's bass guitarist, have pushed Texas to become one of Scotland's best bands, selling upwards of 40 million albums worldwide.