PUBLICAN John Taylor is going back to the pub he made popular to re-launch its music programme.

Mr Taylor ran the Beamish Mary Inn at No Place, near Stanley, for several years, building up a reputation for its real ales - it won CAMRA's national pub of the year award in 1994 - and the bands it put on.

The blues fan, who has run The Sun Inn at Beamish Museum for more then four years, has been invited back to book the best bands on the North-East pub circuit. The music nights will be on Thursdays and will start on November 4 with Theresa Watson, who has appeared at the Stanley Blues Festival.

He said: "It will all be bands that I like. Hopefully, things will get back to the way they were.

"I wouldn't like to label it a blues night but the bands will be in the blues, rock, and rhythm 'n' blues area. We have got old favourites like TT Blue and The Blues Burglars, who I wanted to book as the first band when I ran the Mary but they had just split up."

Gigs start at 9pm. For full details, call the pub on 0191-370 0237.

Published: 26/10/2004