TWO years after losing his sight, an entertainer is back in the spotlight through his musical tribute to one of the North-East's best-loved footballers.

Joe Robinson, from North Terrace, Crook, County Durham, once delighted audiences with his performances as Roy Orbison and was one of the first acts to appear on the TV show Stars in Their Eyes.

Now the 62-year-old Newcastle United fan is experiencing his 15 minutes of fame for a second time after rewriting the 60s hit Sheila, by Tommy Roe, in tribute to his footballing hero Alan Shearer.

The catchy tune, titled King of the Black and Whites, has been played for the past two mornings on Goffy in the Morning, on Century FM.

Mr Robinson has raised thousands of pounds for charities, including research into the degenerative eye disease retinitis pigmentosa which caused his blindness.

"I have been writing my own songs as a hobby for years. I wrote my first after the death of Buddy Holly in 1959," he said.

"This was just a bit of fun. I used to watch Newcastle but now that I can't see, I have to listen to them on the radio.

"I didn't expect the song to be played I just sent it to Goffy so that he could pass it on to Shearer."

Radio presenter Paul Goff said the CD had gone down well with Shearer and listeners.

He said: "We thought it was a lot of fun and I will be presenting a copy of it to Alan Shearer. You never know, with a bit of a push it might get played at the big games."