THE Billy Davis Band and the John Wood Big Band will be jointly hosting charity concerts at Evesham Arts Centre in aid of the Mayor of Evesham charities.

The mayor, Councillor Frances Smith, said: "Billy and I have remained firm friends since our days at Evesham High School where we shared many happy hours with other classmates singing round Billy's piano. So when I asked Billy if he would be prepared to stage a concert in aid of my charities he was more than happy to oblige and in fact suggested doing two-nights. These concerts are always popular and usually sell out very quickly."

The Billy Davis Band has now been in existence in its present form for over 15 years but Bill Davis and George Bourne have collaborated musically for over 40 years.

More recently, through the band's association with Bretforton Silver Band and musical director John Wood, the John Wood Big Band has emerged, formed initially to celebrate the 60th anniversaries of VE and VJ Days, but the band is now including more recent material in its repertoire.

The two bands together with several top vocalists joined the Silver Band at the famous Bretforton Proms earlier this year and the combination was an instant success.

The coming concerts will feature a wide range of music culminating in an appreciation of 1940s music with some startling Glenn Miller-style arrangements among others. The vocalists for the evening include Liza Bailey, Amanda Golding, Abby Brant, Dean Baylis and Chris Dowdeswell.

Ticket cost £10 for the shows on Saturday and Sunday, November 26 and 27 and are available from Jenny Bourne on 01386 832582 and Billy Davis on 01386 443308.