Sayer's Sussex upbringing 'ingrained in my memory'
BBCSinger-songwriter Leo Sayer says that growing up in Shoreham means a map of the West Sussex town is "in my head all the time", as he prepares to return to the county on his latest tour.
Sayer, 78, said many of his hit songs had been written while walking along the streets of Shoreham, and that his time across the county including living in Hove and Portslade is "ingrained in my memory".
The You Make Me Feel Like Dancing singer is due to return to Worthing and Bexhill on tour in October.
He told BBC Radio Sussex: "Most of my songs were written and sung while walking down little streets by myself."
He added: "There's a pub in Worthing where they have graffiti of me, and I always pop in there for a pint, and there are always people waiting for me when I do a show."
'Singing as good as ever'
Sayer, who grew up in Shoreham as the son of a maintenance engineer at Southlands Hospital but now lives in Australia, said he has fond memories of growing up in the area.
He recalled how, on one occasion, he and his brother had taken their father's car for a drive around the car park at the hospital, but had accidentally crashed into his office.
"We were grounded for months", he joked.
He said that, ahead of his tour, "all of the work is keeping me young", adding that he is "singing as good as ever".
Sayer begins his UK tour in Bexhill on 7 October, before playing Worthing's Assembly Hall, Folkestone in Kent, and the London Palladium alongside dates across the UK.
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