I HAVE, for quite some time, been fascinated by the lyrics of a song written by Rodney Crowell which appeared on his album, The Outsider.

The song is called Glasgow Girl and was obviously written while he toured in England. One of the lines in the song is "the Glasgow girl assured me she liked my Texas drawl, and if I ever passed that way again that I'd sure be to call".

That song, along with many others, is likely to be part of his repertoire when he appears as part of the SummerTyne Americana Weekend taking place at Sage Gateshead on July 27. It is his only show outside London and one of the great eclectic events presented by the Sage with legendary Texas band The Flatlanders, comprising Jimmy Dale Gilmore, Butch Hancock and Joe Ely.

The band was originally formed in 1971, pursued a career together, and then went on to have solo careers of their own. Box Office: 0191-443-4661. If you get the chance to have a word with Mr Crowell, just ask him on my behalf if he knows if the Glasgow Girl was in the audience.