Throat cancer can’t stop singer Ian Smith getting back on stage with reggae band The Inner Mind

AFTER being diagnosed with throat and neck cancer, singer Ian Smith thought his four-decade musical career was over.

As a member of Huddersfield’s reggae band The Inner Mind, they had to stop gigging in October 2009 when Ian needed treatment.

Ian had to go for mouth and neck cancer operations and feared he would never perform again as he was the band’s vocalist and keyboard player.

But the 62-year-old has come out fighting – he is back on form and The Inner Mind are going back on the road.

Ian, of Linthwaite, said: “I had cancer of the throat and want other people going through it to have some hope that you can come out of it all right.

“We did some farewell gigs because we all thought I’d never be able to sing again but the voice is back.”

Treatment has included slicing part of Ian’s tongue off and he needs a further operation.

But that’s not the only problem Ian has faced – he needed two operations on his hands and faces a third. For a keyboard player, it’s hardly ideal.

“I’m very, very lucky that the cancer didn’t spread,” he added.