SINGER-SONGWRITER Rob Richings who supports West End star Ramin Karimloo at The Concorde, Eastleigh on January 26 on an 11-date tour considers himself one of the luckiest men alive.

Not only is he delighted to be joining Iranian-Canadian actor and singer Ramin - whose West End credits cover leading male roles in The Phantom Of The Opera and Les Misérables, but Rob is happy simply to have been given a 'second chance' at life itself.

Rob, 36, is no stranger to the New Forest for he recorded his last album at the Atlas Studios "with an awesome musician" Simon Johnson (James Morrisons and Tom Jones guitarist) and says " not only was the studio and sound right for me (but) the setting was wonderful. Just a stones throw from the sea. "

Now he has released the debut solo album ‘Parkas And Boots’, produced by Chris Vallejo (Passenger), after a brush with death gave him a new sense of perspective and renewed lease of life.

Rob was diagnosed in 2009 with what proved to be a near-fatal illness but once he beat it he decided enough was enough and it was time to get serious about his music and give up his decorating job.

Now relatively healthy he said: “I don’t want my illness to define what I do but at the same time, that illness and the way I look at life now has made me a better songwriter.”

Born in Swindon, Rob moved to rural Ireland aged 11 when his mum received a job offer and here he discovered music.

“It was the Irish thing of people playing in the local pub every night and it just seemed natural for me to join in. By the time I was 11 or 12 I was in the pub playing Nirvana songs or whatever we’d taped off The Chart Show alongside people doing traditional music.”

When the family returned to Swindon Rob and his drummer brother James formed an indie band that eventually became Sleeping With Giants.

“We were good, had quite a good following and released an album,” Rob recalls, “but I was becoming increasingly ill. I couldn’t even walk up the stairs.”

Rob had severe colitis, so severe that after years of misdiagnosis it had metastasised into cancer of his appendix. Several operations and years of recovery followed, but it had one welcome silver lining.

“I picked up an acoustic guitar for the first time in ages and these songs started appearing,” Rob says. “The band was very driven by loud guitars, and people said they loved the music but no one ever said that about the lyrics. Being a singer-songwriter, however, means there’s nowhere to hide the lyrics and I think for that reason I had to work much harder at writing than before.”

What came out of Rob’s songs was, understandably, incredibly poignant. After all, nothing quite focuses the mind on the past like the possibility of not having a future.

“The album is very nostalgic. It’s not something that others would notice, but in my head I know it’s there. I managed to piece together ten songs that all split along childhood days and the sense of openness and community that came with rural living.”

Now married with two young children, Rob may seem to be taking a gamble on music, but when you’ve nearly been down and out, the only way is up.