America have been invited to tour the UK again in March. The surprise discovered by Viv Hardwick is that Dewey Bunnell was born in Harrogate and has strong ties with North Yorkshire.

AMERICA, the band formed in the UK in the 1960s by sons of US servicemen, are finally returning to play in the UK for the first time in 25 years... with Gateshead's Sage an unknown name to them on the tour list.

And, incredibly, singer-songwriter guitarist Dewey Bunnell reveals he was born in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, where his sister and brother still live and work.

He and bespectacled Gerry Beckley became the nucleus of America when Dan Peek split from the trio in 1977. The hits and albums have continued, just not in the UK, apart from regular 'Best of' updates.

A new double-CD set, Here & Now, has finally caught the attention of UK producers with Dewey admitting that planning a set-list for fans here is going to mean going back to songs like The Horse With No Name in 1972.

"We're saddled, if you will, with that one because it's the first impression of us and a very successful song around the world and still gets a lot of airplay. But we've got quite a catalogue of music over the years and made dozens of albums and had many successful records in the US.

"The set list is a touchy question because the show is predominantly familiar music from the 1970s. Let's face it that's what we're known for and that's what the people who spend the money to come and see us are expecting. Right now we've got about four songs from the new CD but we wouldn't do as many as six. It's not just us, as artists, that are allowed just a certain amount of fame that is frozen in time.

"The UK scene is so interesting because it's so hard to break back into. Even when we were working with George Martin, one of England's greatest in the pop music world, we still didn't have that much success."

Despite visiting his family regularly in Harrogate, 55-year-old Bunnell has never performed here professionally since You Can Do Magic made the top 60 in 1982.

He says: "The reason we've finally come back is that it requires an invitation. We've played in countries all around the good old UK and never had an invite to play there.

"Our fathers were at the airforce base at Ruislip in the 1960s and we started the band straight out of high school and we were taken under the wing of the music community in London and we made our first album and everything happened. We did some tours in the mid-1970s but as the years went on interest waned and we followed different courses.

"We're so pleased to be coming back. Both Gerry and I have always had strong connections with England, stronger even than with the continent and the US because our mothers were both British."

He teases me about taking a long time in finding that he was born in The Northern Echo's circulation area after revealing: "I was born in Yorkshire in Harrogate. My sister, Trina Rowe, married an Englishman from there and they've settled there. My brother, Chris, is involved in the restoration of bone china and ceramics and my sister works for a US firm in computers."

Bunnell laughs about being qualified to play for Yorkshire Cricket Club and adds: "My mother has passed away now but my parents had a pub for many years up in Knaresborough which backed on to a cricket pitch and they were always in contact with the cricket teams. By that time I'd moved to the US and the band were working in California."

He admits to being excited about new album Here & Now which took a year's work with indie-rock producers Adam Schlesinger (Fountains Of Wayne) and James Iha (Smashing Pumpkins) in New York. Featured guests include Ryan Adams.

Talking about the release, he says: "Part of the strategy with this being a double CD is that we didn't want to do any of the old stuff again. Frankly, we're tired of re-recording those things after the live albums, the greatest hits and the box set. But the Sony group label, Burgundy, sort of convinced us to do a double CD and include some of the old songs so we're being re-introduced to people who may have forgotten because it's been a long time. At the same time a younger generation could see where we came from. So it was a win-win."

He and Beckley enjoyed the challenge of working with younger musicians "because it moved us out of our comfort zone".

For older fans, who still think of America as a trio, Bunnell has bad news. In this current round of nostalgia and band reunion there is no thoughts of a one-off appearance with Dan Peek. "The Police reunion is hardly the same because Dan left the band in 1977, which is a long, long time ago. His position in this band's history is cemented but we've got a comfortable five-piece and Gerry and I are the front men and we are the band America now."

He admits he's never heard of Gateshead's Sage but is very taken with the idea of making a live recording there... so the March 21 appearance may be even more important than the band's long-time fans imagine.

* America, Gateshead Sage, March 21. Box Office: 0191-4434661