WITH his band Dire Straits he gave us unforgettable tracks like Romeo and Juliet, Money for Nothing and Sultans of Swing.

John Illsley was a founder member, bass player and contributing vocalist to the 120 million album selling Dire Straits who spent a staggering 1,100 weeks in the album charts.

When the band broke up in 1995 the multiple Brit & Grammy award winner embarked on ‘a quiet life’ in the New Forest with partner Stephanie.

He painted and helped care for his two youngest children, Harry, then aged three, and Deedee, who was just seven months old.

Shortly afterwards he bought his local pub - the East End Arms at Lymington, saving it from development and kept his promise to retain its rustic charm.

Since then he has enjoyed a sporadic solo career and established himself as an exhibiting painter.

But most importantly of all he has also overcome cancer - a form of leukaemia that he kept secret from almost all his friends and family for 15 years.

I caught up with John over a drink at his charming country pub - its walls filled with his art works and photographs of music stars. Here we talked about the new album - his sixth solo studio album ‘Long Shadows’; the chances of a Dire Straits reunion and why he kept his illness a secret.

Having experienced life in the music industry fast lane, relentlessly touring the globe, John clearly enjoys being creative and working at his own pace. He told me: "The new album's been 18 months from the initial conception of doing a record taking all the snippets I'd done on the iPhone playing guitar. I also keep a notebook for every album and write ideas in it. With all these little ideas sometimes I can wake up at 6 am which is really irritating and have to go down stairs and write something down - which also irritates my wife but sometimes ideas come early in the morning and I try and write them down as quickly as possible.

"When I was making the last album ' Testing the water' my iPhone was full of stuff and I loaded it to my computer one day and by mistake I pressed the reset button and lost all my ideas but I suppose if I couldn't remember them they weren't that good but I do have an appalling memory!"

Long Shadows sees John undertaking lead vocal, acoustic guitar and bass duties on all of the eight tracks, and his unmistakable sound, approach to arrangement and song writing is paired with his faultless lyrical storytelling. It's a departure from the previous album’s themes of personal trials and tribulations and he says the lyrical content reflects “the obvious political and social elements which have always concerned me.

“'In the Darkness' for example is a take on the internet and how it seduces us all in some ways, but particularly those young people who get influenced to join radical religious groups.

"We are all aware of the good parts of digital technology but some aspects are not so good . The recent events in Brussels reminds you there's some pretty dark business going on in the world and these people are able to have conversations with others on the same social media we use, but I was also trying to reflect on the problems with pornography as well and trying to control it."

Opening with the solemn instrumental ‘Morning’, the album swells and dips with each musical movement. Energetic numbers, like ‘In The Darkness’ and ‘Long Shadow' are indicative of John's rock and blues background, demonstrating his ability as a seasoned musician and composer who can move with the times, whilst slower tracks like ‘There’s Something About You’ and ‘Ship Of Fools’ showcase his story telling, as his vocals become reminiscent of the blues troubadours of old.

Two of his four children, Jess and Dee Dee Illsley, contributed backing vocals.

John explains: "The album track 'Ship of Fools' gives you an idea of what I was trying to say. It's kind of a reflection on the last ten or 15 years of how the world seems to be managing to cause chaos with itself. It's really a reflection of the Iraq War and how that was dealt with."

Although the album is somewhat political John isn't keen on political commentators:

"Everyone is interested in politics these days because every time you turn on the TV a politician is ramming their views down our necks. When I was growing up that didn't happen but now they are asked to comment on anything. I think we've all become a bit obsessed with politics and now we all have views ; it seems everyone has an opinion. "

And as for the album title 'Long Shadows' he says:

"I had the idea for the title 18 months ago. I believe there are people in our world who leave a bigger footprint behind because of what they say, do and what they are. Some people leave a long shadow. I originally thought of this in relation to Bob Dylan whose left a big shadow. To me if Bob Dylan is the Picasso of the music business Leonard Coen is the Matisse. These people are not making music for kids; they have something to say for themselves . I fancy we will be listening to their music for some time. I believe you should make something that has longevity to it and I'm very pleased to be part of the Dire Straits journey. "

So does he miss the band and is it true he tried to get them back together?

"I didn't try and get them back together I was trying to sound out if it would be possible as I thought if we were going to do it we shouldn't leave it too long but Mark [Knopfler]and I both think it should be left alone. If we tried to repeat what we achieved in 1992 which was an incredible experience to do that again and have that energy would be very difficult. It's much more constructive to move forward. Having said that when I tour I play at least seven or eight Dire Straits songs because I really like playing them, but I'm more interested in playing and writing my own songs. I don't want to be my own tribute band - there are plenty of Dire Straits tribute bands around! It's better to write new music and have new things to say, but the old songs sit comfortably with the new."

John revealed a Southampton concert could soon be on the cards:

"I played The Brook in Southampton two years ago and I'd love to go back there - I'm planing an autumn tour. The album comes out on May 13 so we will get the summer out of the way first."

John also enjoys expressing himself through painting, a passion he has developed over the last twenty years, and has now had solo exhibitions around the world. “For me art and music are interlinked - you start with a blank canvas and work away until you are satisfied that you have made something which is as close as it can to be to what you are trying to achieve. There is a great element of mystery in both processes which can surprise you and upset you in equal measure.” His most recent art exhibition took place at Belgravia Gallery in May last year.

" I'm very lucky I have two things I can indulge myself in. I still think it's an indulgence as most people have to do proper jobs:as John Lennon said ' Life is what happens when you are busy making plans' - life gets in the way of being creative for most people. If anyone is involved in the arts you are working in a creative environment : it's really good for the soul and that's why I would encourage any child to play an instrument - it doesn't matter how well, and to also pick up a pencil and draw your world. When you watch kids drawing when they are young they have this creative freedom , no wonder Picasso said 'I spent my life trying to paint like a child '. They have a wonderful naivety but as soon as they get to school they are told the sky isn't pink and the sea is blue not green and they knock all that creativity out of them. The only time I had a proper job was for three years from age 20-23 and then I went to university which suited me. My daughter is studying Philosophy, English and also A level art which is another space she can go known where you can do whatever you like. Life controls us without us even thinking about it."

John says he has been clear of cancer for five years now. He doesn't dwell on it and never wanted to be defined by it.

" I was diagnosed in 1999. At the age of 50 being told you have ten years to live was a shock - well they got that wrong!

In that time from when I got that diagnosis to where we are now medicine has come on in leaps and bounds; it's so much better now. I was so lucky because my sister was an exact match for a stem cell transplant. Every time I see her I say you do realise you saved my life."

So why did he keep his cancer, first diagnosed in 1999, a secret ?

"I didn't want it to become a subject of speculation and conversation. I knew with this strain of cancer it would be a slow burner and would not be a problem for ten years and I'd had some chemo and my hair hadn't fallen out but it got to 2010 and I couldn't climb the stairs and I realised I must do something about it. I didn't want people to be always asking ' How are you?'. Then I told a few friends - Mark, my friend Paul and my wife but not my children.

When I did tell everyone they said that's fine and some said I'm upset you didn't tell me but most people were incredibly supportive."

John had his first chemotherapy in 2002 but by January 2011 having become very weak he was admitted to The London Clinic for the latest form of stem cell treatment – a mini-transplant. This only started to be developed in the early 2000s but is now used as much as possible. It uses less chemo and doesn't kill off all the recipient’s bone marrow.

John recalls that all his hair fell out and he suddenly looked a lot older. It took two painfully slow weeks to know whether the operation had worked. And John recalls how the good news was broken to him:

‘Prof Gribben came in one day with a big smile on his face and said: Congratulations - you are 98 percent female!"

Looking to the future John says his ambition is simply "To get this record in front of people. I'm very, very pleased with it and believe it's one of the best things I've done."

He is looking forward to more concerts and another exhibition this year too.