Don Partridge was labelled King of the Buskers after appearing on Top of the Pops as a one-man band in 1967.

His hit, Rosie, catapulted him to stardom and made him a household name throughout Britain.

Since then, he has faded from the limelight.

But the 60-year-old father of eight, of Hindover Road, Seaford, is about to release his first recording in 34 years.

Don was 25 when he was spotted busking in Soho by a producer from Essex Records who saw he had talent and asked him to come up with a song to record.

That song was Rosie, which reached number three in the charts and spent 17 weeks in the Top Ten.

Don turned his back on fame after becoming disillusioned with the music industry.

He said: "It doesn't suit everyone and it came to a point when I didn't really fit in.

"I wasn't a cabaret singer or a club artist. I was really half circus act and half street singer so I didn't fit into the traditional musical mould."

After making £50,000 from Rosie (a modest house cost about £5,000 at the time), he travelled the world for more than 30 years, keeping himself afloat by busking and selling books of poetry.

And Don is still entertaining audiences, having returned to his roots as a busker in Seaford town centre.

Since moving to the town with wife Pam 11 years ago, he has become a familiar sight belting out Mexican, blues and novelty numbers on his guitar, drum and harmonica.

He said: "Sometimes someone will come up to me and say, 'Hey, you sing just like that Don Partridge, you must be him,' but I'm barely recognisable from the Sixties so it doesn't happen often."

His new 11-track album, The Highwayman, is based on his life as a worldly busker.

He recalled how, in Canada in 1976, he was attacked by a bear and robbed of his equipment. Such experiences shaped the album.

He said: "I thought making it would be a good way of recording some of the experiences I've had on my travels.

"Listening to music often transports you back to a particular time and that's what this album will do for me."

Don is joined on the album by the legendary Herbie Flowers on bass and up-and-coming Ollie Boorman, from Eastbourne, on drums, with Richard Durrant on other instruments.

Richard, 39, said: "Don is the brains behind it all. The album is going to be fantastic and has already generated a lot of interest."

It will be launched on Thursday, January 24, at the Komedia in Gardner Street, Brighton.