For half a century, he was a leading light in the music scene.

Now tributes have been paid to Huddersfield guitarist and vocalist Alex Keenan, who has died at the age of 77.

He was a star of the Sixties and went on to sell hundreds of thousands of records, as well as being an in-demand backing singer for many top acts such as Tom Jones and Paul McCartney.

Mr Keenan was born in Dundee but moved to Huddersfield when he was nine. He was the oldest of six children and came from a musical background.

His father, also called Alex, was a renowned pianist in Huddersfield in the 1950s and 1960s while his mother Elizabeth played the mandolin.

On leaving school he started work at an engineering firm but did not enjoy the work. He did enjoy the Army, serving as a physical training instructor and rising to the rank of sergeant.

He also learned to play the guitar - sharing a billet with a guitarist from Tommy Steel’s backing band.

His musical ability also shone through when he won the annual Greenhead Park talent contest, with his whistling, and when he joined the Salvation Army Band playing the euphonium.

It was in 1960 when he reached the age of 22 that his music career took off. He joined Huddersfield-based band Denny and The Witchdoctors. spending five years with the group touring Britain and Europe and recording several records.

In 1963 he left the group to work in London as a solo artist. He sang with many dance bands including The Mike Morton 5 and the Johnny Howard Band and also worked on cruise ships. At one point he was in a band with top girl vocalist Stephanie de Sykes and they reached Number 2 with a songt called Born With A Smile On My Face, which sold more than 250,000 records and earned him a silver disc.

He released a cover version of the Neil Sedaka song One Day Of Your Life which hit No 1 in Hawaii for 13 weeks, ahead of the likes of The Kinks , The Rolling Stones and The Beatles!

In London he also became a TV “star”, appearing in several commercials for British Airways and Shell among others. He was also a backing singer on the TV theme tune for Only When i Laugh, starring James Bolam, and for Paul McCartney’s Long and Winding Road.

He returned to Huddersfield in 1979 and was a regular for many years on the pub and club circuit.

He was married to another singer, Eleanor, although the marriage did not last lobg. She is still working in the business and attended his funeral service at Huddersfield Crematorium.