A COMIC strip by a man from a remote dales village has found its way into a book devoted to the life of American rock 'n roll legend Roy Orbison.

The cartoons were drawn by jazz musician and artist Alan Mayes, now living in retirement at Cowshill, in Upper Weardale, County Durham, when he was a member of Orbison's backing group in the early 1970s.

The book, Rhapsody in Black, The Life and Music of Roy Orbison, has just been published in the United States. It was written by singer and author John Kruth, a professor of music at Manhatten College, in New York.

Alongside a page devoted to Mr Mayes' comic strip of Orbison as The Big O, Mr Kruth wrote: "Roy's sullen presence and charcoal aura would also inspire a micro wave of oddball art by everyone from Marvel Comics to one-time bandmate, Alan Mayes, who concoted a comic strip entitled The Adventures of Big O inspired by his travels with Roy."

Those travels, Mr Mayes recalled, lasted three years and took him as a trumpet player in the Orbsion band to such far-flung places as Hong Kong and Hawaii.

"I will always remember the Hawaii tour as a very special date," said Mr Mayes.

Memorable, too, were Orbison concert dates at the Royal Albert Hall and London Palladium.

Several British musicians were recruited into the Orbison backing group around 1970.

Mr Mayes was a professional trumpet player at several clubs in London at the time. His brother, Chick, also played trumpet with some lerading bands of the time, including the Ambrose Orchestra.

Their father, Charles, with a trombone player with a Salvation Army band.

"I had three marvellous years of backing Roy, travelling all over the world," he said.

"It's incredibly pleasing that I have been remembered in a book about his life because of a comic strip I drew at the time."

Singer-songwriter Roy Orbison was born at Vernon,Texas. He died in 1988 following a heart attack.

*John Kruth's book has been published by Backbeat Books in Milwaukee. It is now available on Amazon in the UK.