A CONCERT is being to celebrate the life of an inspirational Widnes musician hailed a gentle giant.

Paul McCann, from Ditton, died suddenly in January after a short illness.

The 50-year-old has been hailed a legend and his favourite band Poisoned Electrick Head will be headling.

A Party For Paul will be held at The Studio on Lacey Street at 8pm on Friday, March 9.

Doors open at 7.30pm.

Greg Oldfield, Clive Little, Paul Dockerty, Slaughterhouse and Stephen Goodall were among the bands on stage.

Songs by The Damned, Hawkwind, Peter and The Test Tube Babies, Ozric Tentacles and many more will be featured in the show.

Paul's music colleagues will also be performing on the night as Mikce and the McCann-ics.

Louise Nulty, The Studio project manager, who will be compering the show, said: “Paul was a gentle giant and also a musical powerhouse who inspired and encouraged a generation of Widnes musicians.

“Since we announced the show we have been inundated with messages from people who he inspired over the years.

" I was one of those people myself. I first met him when I was 19 and joined the musicians workshop scheme run by Greg Oldfield.

"This was a fantastic initiative set up to nurture and develop the local music scene. It is a shame that such a thing no longer exists.

"Paul was already a veteran of the local music scene then and I ended up singing in his band called Temple Ball.

"We recorded a few demos and played a lot of live gigs at The Studio. This is why we chose the venue for this celebration of his life. A lot of Paul's spirit will be in the bricks and mortar there.

"Paul was instrumental in me getting into this business that has since taken me to the heights of The Palladium and other world famous venues so I feel I owe him a lot."

Until a few years ago, Paul had cared for his dad for around 20 years and continued to live in the family home.

His funeral was held last month.

All the money raised will go to Paul's brother Tommy to help towards Paul's funeral costs.