Rock and roll-ing stock as Rod stopping at Brum

Legendary singer Rod Stewart will turn back the clock when he brings his Live The Life Tour to Birmingham's LG Arena on Wednesday and Thursday.

The star is back on the road, following his sell out 2010 tour.

Never failing to deliver, the Grammy Award winning, two time Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee and one of the world's best selling musical artists, will head to the arena for a show-stopping two-night residency.

His shows follow the publication of his book.

Rod – The Autobiography, which saw him take a candid and romping look back at his life both on and off the stage.

It charted his humble British roots to his hell-raising years touring with such trailblazing bands as The Jeff Beck Group and The Faces.

It also charted some of his great loves – including three marriages and eight children – and his decades touring the world as a solo performer.

In recent years, Stewart has also revealed another private passion – his model train collection.

The singer's model train obsession spans decades and continents and is rooted in a '40s London childhood where his parent's shop neighboured British Rail, whose East Coast Line eventually became the model for the first model train layout Stewart built at his English estate in Essex.

Fans of his music will note that trains also featured prominently in two of his most successful mid-period releases – a sublime 1985 cover of Curtis Mayfield's "People Get Ready" that re-teamed him with Jeff Beck and his 1989 hit, "Downtown Train."

"I pity a man who doesn't have a hobby like this one, it's just the most supreme relaxation," Stewart said of the train modeling passion he's devoted decades of his life to. "Every person should have one hobby that really captures his interest." As for the public acclaim and recognition of his fellow hobbyists, Rod proudly says they "mean more to me than the cover of Rolling Stone."

Stewart famously featured on the cover of Model Railroader, a magazine dedicated to model railway enthusiasts.

His passion is shared by other rock 'n'roll stars, including Jools Holland, the pianist and mover in toff circles, and impresario Pete Waterman, who launched Kylie's career.

Stewart has sold a staggering 100 million albums and has enjoyed six consecutive number ones in the UK. He has released 62 hit singles, including 31 that reached the top ten and six that hit number one.

He was listed as being the 17th most successful artist on the The Billboard Hot 100 Top All-Time Artists.

The star has won numerous awards, including Grammies and Brit Awards, and was voted at 33 in Q Magazine's list of the top 100 Greatest Singers of all time 59 on Rolling Stone 100 Greatest Singers of all time.

By?Andy Richardson