Why Alfie will always remember his hairy time in the Highlands!

SELLOUT concerts and platinum-selling albums are the norm for tenor Alfie Boe these days.

But as he gets set to wow a big Scots audience, the Tony Award-winning singer and West End star has told The Sunday Post how that wasn’t always the case.

“I’d just left music college and got a job working with Scottish Opera going round the Highlands and Islands,” he says. “We were on the road for three months doing a show in tiny little villages every other night.

“We’d get held up by herds of Highland cattle on the road and then play venues with as few as 10 people.

“I remember one time we played this school hall. I was literally a foot from the front row and there were all these little kids eating their packed lunches.

“All you could hear as I was trying to sing this aria was the sounds of crisp bags rustling and cans of pop being cracked open.

“Another time there was a dog in the audience that started barking every time we sang.

“But it was a great learning process and we had some wonderful times.”

Things will be a little bit different at Scotland’s Proms in the Park at Glasgow Green on Saturday, September 7.

The event will be broadcast on BBC Two Scotland from 7.30pm.

Alfie’s old pal Melanie C will also be on the bill.

Lancashire-born Alfie’s life has changed immeasurably since his Scottish Opera days.

He and wife Sarah are now based in California with five-year-old daughter Grace and Alfred who’ll turn two on January 1 next year.

But keeping a touch of “home” is still hugely important.

“Grace was born in Oxford and still has a bit of a British accent,” confides Alfie. “I’m trying to save that by speaking broad Lancashire as often as I can!

“The family are going to travel with me and will live over here at certain times in their lives.

“So they’ll experience life in the UK as well as the States.”

Alfie has a new album called Trust out later this year and it demonstrates the musical versatility that has won him millions of fans.

“It’s got a kind of Memphis blues vibe to it,” he adds.

“There’s a permanent five-piece band including Booker T from Booker T & The MGs.

“The feel is a little bit different and the songs are incredible.”