Passengers boarding a bus in the Black Country may find themselves face-to-face with a bona fide pop star – but they probably couldn’t guess who it is.

Bus driver Fredrick Lee better known as Rick to his fans, certainly has more than The Wheels On The Bus in his musical repertoire.

In his younger days Rick, aged 65, of Viewfield Crescent, Sedgley, toured with some of the most popular rock and roll acts of the 1960s with girls screaming his name when he took to the stage and back in 1974 he had a number two hit in Germany titled Riding High.

And he says it was only loyalty to his bandmates that stopped him from the chance of becoming a household name in the UK as well.

After performing with his band at the opening of a ballroom in Coventry, he was approached by Cliff Richard’s manager at the time who said he wanted to sign both him and his lead guitarist and take them to London but he turned down the offer because the rest of his band couldn’t go.

The decision was something he says he 100 per cent regrets.

And now having been at Travel West Midlands for the past 19 months he says he loves his job but decided to make himself a double album.

The not-for-profit album, Power to My Friends, sees him singing some of the greatest musical hits of all time which of course includes his most successful song Riding High.

He has lived in the region for 20 years and as a youngster in Coventry he became interested in music at an early age.

And with a mother who was a former black and white minstrel and banjo playing father he certainly had the genes for it. “I took music up professionally around 1965,” he said

His band has performed at a range of places around the country stopping off in Birmingham, Newcastle, Barnsley, Wakefield and also performing in package tours.

Some of the stars he performed with included Billy Fury and The Hollies. He had also performed with American rockabilly pioneer musician Gene Vincent on the night he died in a car crash in 1971.

Following their show in Coventry, the American star had jumped into a taxi to get to his next performance but never arrived.

Rick said: “He was a nice chap and it had been a great show, a big rock and roll performance.”

After giving music up for a few years to become a professional DJ he eventually got back into performing as a solo artist and after sending off some demos the song that was to later become his big hit in Germany was eventually picked up .

It was penned with the help of his lead guitarist, Jerry Ballard.

By Helen Cartwright