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She's not my manager, she's a cocktail waitress - rock star in concert row

American Heavy Metal star Jake E Lee has hit back at his former booking agent following the cancellation of his show in Wolverhampton.

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And he rubbished claims that his girlfriend had taken over the management of the band in a Spinal Tap-style bust-up, claiming she is a cocktail waitress.

Lee, who played the guitar for Ozzy Osbourne in the mid-1980s, was due to appear with his new band Red Dragon Cartel at Wolverhampton's Slade Rooms on Sunday. But the concert was cancelled at short notice, with a sign on the door of the venue blaming 'unforeseen circumstances'.

Booking agent Denise Dale of Metal Music claimed the concert was abandoned after a row with the star's American girlfriend, who Mrs Dale alleged had said she was taking over the management of the band.

But Lee, who wrote 'Jake E Lee was here and ready to go' over the notice, said there was no truth in the claims.

He said his girlfriend was in Britain purely as his travelling companion, and had not been involved with any of his work.

"She's not my manager, she's a cocktail waitress," he said.

"My management is with Derek Schumann. He's been my manager for the past year and he still is now.

"The whole thing started with a personality clash, and the booking agent - I cannot even say her name - has tried to make as many people suffer as possible.

"We were there and we were ready to play - there was no issue other than she was angry."

He apologised to fans who had turned out for the show, and said he hoped as many as possible would now get the chance to see the band play at Manchester tomorrow and Friday, or a the Download festival at Donington Park in Derby on Sunday.

"It was heartbreaking not to be able to play that show," he said.

"I can only say I'm sorry to all the people who had driven a long way to see us.

"We tried to do everything we could. It has been 20 years since I played in England.

"I had a great time with some of the fans in Wolverhampton," he said.

"We went out into a pub just up the road from the venue, it had a giant bat out the back, and they all bought me drinks."

Metal Music Bookings said in a statement that the dispute began after the band's concert at the O2 Academy in London on Friday last week.

"Red Dragon Cartel's booking agent Denise Dale was confronted in the dressing room in a 'Spinal Tap' type of moment by Jake E Lee's American girlfriend, who stated that she would henceforth be taking over the management of the band, and that Metal Music Bookings would no longer represent Red Dragon Cartel," said the statement.

"Said girlfriend, who is in the UK on a tourist only visa, then proceeded to work at the band's Nottingham Rescue Rooms show on June 7, which caused a serious visa irregularity, in contravention of UK immigration law.

"Denise Dale decided to attempt to defuse the situation and travelled to Wolverhampton's Slade Rooms yesterday afternoon to find, on arrival, that the band and crew were demanding that venue staff ban her from entering. Denise informed them that the show could go ahead as long as said girlfriend was not in the building, but Jake declined this solution and the show was, therefore, cancelled."

The 1984 spoof documentary This Is Spinal Tap featured a heavy metal band whose management was taken over by the frontman's yoga-loving girlfriend.

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