Hot Chocolate frontman Kennie Simon joins star-studded Live at Arley line-up

The sweet-singing soul star will appear as part of the stellar Back to Boogie Concert on the opening night of the music weekend at Arley Hall in Cheshire this May.

Simon, who has enjoyed a prolific music career spanning more than six decades, has been Hot Chocolate’s lead singer and keyboard player for the past 15 years, during which time he has toured the globe with the legendary band - to widespread acclaim.

This year’s Live at Arley takes place on Saturday and Sunday, May 17-18 May with audiences promised amazing live performances from superstar performers along with delicious food and drink offers which include Knutsford favourite April’s Kitchen.

The Live at Arley weekend kicks off on Saturday, May 17 with the Back to Boogie Concert.

The line-up is headlined by Boney M, with the 70s disco icons celebrating their 50th anniversary. And in addition to Kennie Simon, they will also appear alongside US chart-toppers Odyssey and Liverpool soul legends The Real Thing.

Boney M ruled the 70s with a string of unforgettable global hits including Rivers of Babylon, Rasputin, Daddy Cool, Brown Girl in the Ring, Gotta Go Home and many more.

Led by the original founder, the irrepressible Maizie Williams, the group’s unmistakable cocktail of pop, disco and reggae is still shaking up dancefloors throughout the world. With a golden run of timeless songs under their belts, Boney M deliver ‘a world of fun for everyone’, magically transporting listeners back in time to the heady days of glitter balls, flares, big hair and even bigger heels.

Odyssey rose to fame in the late 1970s. Known for their mellow harmonies and infectious grooves, the group achieved global success with the breakout 1977 hit Native New Yorker, an enduring disco classic. Other chart-topping singles include the anthem Going Back to My Roots and the soulful Use It up and Wear it Out which reached number one in the UK.

British soul and disco group The Real Thing completes the Saturday night line-up. The group, formed in Liverpool in 1972, is renowned for its smooth vocals and timeless hits and became one of the UK’s most successful souls acts of the 70s and 80s with its 1976 smash hit You to Me are Everything topping the charts and remaining a soul classic. Other notable hits include Can’t Get by Without You, and the socially conscious Children of the Ghetto.

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The weekend concert series continues on Sunday evening with a magnificent Proms and anniversary concert headlined by Salford-born superstar singer Russell Watson – crowned the UK’s best-selling classical artist of all time - who is celebrating 25 years since the release of his landmark debut album The Voice.

Watson’s concert will feature a selection of much-loved tracks from the album alongside rousing Proms favourites and stirring anthems, and he will be supported by a host of incredible musicians and singers from brass and pipe bands to 100-strong local choirs such as the Rock Choir Cheshire and the Northwich Musical Theatre Choir both featuring on the Main Stage at the event.

Tickets, including Premium Experience tickets, for Live at Arley are on sale now at www.cheshireconcerts.com/arley