IT was one of the most heart-warming music stories of 2016. Thirty-one years after his last album troubled the charts, Shakin’ Stevens’ Echoes of Our Time went straight into the UK top 40 and introduced him to a whole new audience.

Now the 69-year-old singer is heading out on the biggest tour of his career - and it’s all thanks to his interest in family history.

“I suppose you could say that in finding the origins of my family I have gone back to the roots of my music,” said the artist known universally as Shaky.

“I knew nothing about my family and I’d starting looking into it and basically these stories started unfolding in front of me. The more research I did, the more I realised that they were great stories and that I should use them as the basis for songs.”

Born Michael Barratt in Cardiff, Shaky was the youngest of 13 children. Money was extremely tight and although the family was close-knit, his parents never talked about their family background.

“In those days you didn’t talk about things like that,” said Shaky, “particularly in front of the children,

“We did know there had been a feud in the family which also made things difficult to talk about.”

Through his research, encouraged by his partner and manager, Sue Davis, Shaky unearthed stories of the harsh conditions of the Cornish copper mines and of bravery and loss in war - his father was gassed in the trenches of the First World War but like so many others never spoke of his experiences.

“He had medals in the drawer but all he would say is, ‘they should give them to the people who died’,” said Shaky.

His Uncle Leonard lied about his age to join up, only to be killed in an artillery barrage.

On the album, the song Down in the Hole is based on the family’s mining experiences and the title track reflects the tragedy of those affected by war.

A mixture of roots, blues and country, the album marks a radical departure for Shaky from his ‘glory days’ when he was the UK’s biggest selling singles artist of the 1980s. Hits like This Ole House, Green Door and Merry Christmas Everybody saw him achieve 33 top 40 hits including three number ones.

Success came relatively late for Shaky the first time round. At 16 he had hoped to follow in the footsteps of the Beatles and travel to Hamburg but his mum, May, wouldn’t let him go.

With his band the Sunsets, he had minor success being signed up by DJ John Peel to his fledgling Dandelion record label. The band also were booked to open up for the Rolling Stones

In 1977 Shaky got a breakthrough when he got a part in London’s West End in a musical based on the life of Elvis - Shaky played Elvis in his prime.

From there his subsequent solo pop career saw him develop the rock and roll image complete with quiff and turned up collar and his numerous Top of the Pops appearances often saw him performing energetic rock and roll dance routines.

“For people who haven’t seen me in concert in recent years, the album came as a real shock,” said Shaky.

“I think the media were particularly taken aback by it but it’s a direction I have been moving in for a number of years.

“For those who just know me from the early days, it’s totally different now.

“I don’t wear the same clothes or jump around as much and I don’t wear my white shoes any more. As an artist you have to move on and that’s what I have done.”

For the tour Shaky will have a seven-piece band featuring musicians who played on the record including instruments including lap steel guitar, mandolin, stand-up bass and dobro.

“This tour is the next phase for me.” said Shaky. “We have a lot of dates and I’m really looking forward to it.

“We’re going to do all the songs from the album live mixed with some of the hits although these will be done in a different way, I hope people wont be offended by the treatment of them.

“It’s a great feeling to see how people react to the songs live.

“It’s also very important for us to perform them live as we believe there is another audience out there that has latched on to this album.

“In the past they would not have been interested in my songs but we have hooked them in.

“Then there are still the fans from way back, so I’m hoping it will be a really good mix of people on tour.”

Having discovered so much about his family, Shaky still believes there is more to be revealed.

“That’s going to have to wait until after the tour,” he said. “I think that’ll be keeping me busy for a while.”

Shakin’ Stevens, Echoes of Our Time tour, the Lowry, Salford Quays, Sunday, April 16 (details from www.thelowry.com) and Blackpool Opera House, Friday, May 5 (details from www.wintergardensblackpool.com)