It is a long way from Buckie to Amarillo, but a Moray teenager has forged an unlikely bond with the music legend responsible for making the Texan town famous.
Calum Mackenzie Jones was left stunned when Tony Christie – the star synonymous with Is This The Way To Amarillo? – drafted him in as a last-minute support act on his current tour.
Mr Christie, 75, has been thrilling audiences at venues across the UK in recent weeks, but the his plans were thrown into chaos when the support act for the Scottish leg pulled out at the last minute.
Organisers were familiar with Calum’s work however, as the 17-year-old has been making a name for himself as one of the country’s most promising young stars.
And they placed a frantic call to the teenager last Tuesday, asking him to rush to Dunkeld for a show at the Birnam Arts Centre on Wednesday.
After hurriedly reshuffling his diary, Calum set off to Perthshire to warm up the crowd before the Avenues and Alleyways singer took to the stage.
Calum played subsequent shows at Eden Court in Inverness on Thursday and Universal Hall in Findhorn on Friday.
He was unable to accompany Mr Christie to Orkney on Saturday as he had too many prior engagements – including a slot at the Taste of Grampian food festival.
But Calum rejoined the tour at the Webster Memorial Hall in Arbroath on Monday night, where he supported Mr Christie for the final time.
Calum’s mum, Lorraine Jones, described the whirlwind week the family had been through last night.
She said: “It was all a bit mental, and required a reshuffle of everything really – even down to dental appointments.
“Calum has really enjoyed it though, he has played at some special venues before but rarely as a solo act.”
Early last year, Calum’s debut single was featured on a national radio broadcast presented by DJ Jo Whiley.
The Milne’s High School pupil released his debut EP last summer.
Now that the excitement of the tour is over, Calum will focus on the album he is now working on with his new band, The Trad Project.