Happy Birthday, Glenn!

You would think that any singer who has performed to the roar of thousands would be used to the noise, writes Debbie Bennett.

But even this took Cannock-born vocal maestro Glenn Hughes by surprise when he watched the historic away win for his beloved Wolves on Tuesday night.

"Those Wolves fans were the greatest, loudest away fans I've ever heard in my life. I go to Molineux and I see away teams, but those Wolves fans – my God, they were loud!"

The former Trapeze and Deep Purple singer and bass player was still beaming from the victory on one of his many visits to the UK this week.

It's only been a couple of months since we last chatted, but Glenn sounded happier and more relaxed than ever before.

And so he should. Life is good for this busy professional. He's doing exactly what he wants to do. Today is his 58th birthday, yet it's the first time he's celebrated here in the UK in decades.

"My parents haven't seen me on my birthday since the 70s," he confesses, although he's not here for long. Tonight he'll be at a festival in, Bulgaria. His followers there hold a kind of "Glenn Hughes Day" on his birthday, and he returns to perform there every year.

Since recovering from a drug habit which almost killed him, Glenn has become one of the most prolific singer/songwriters of his age and because there's always a new set of tunes up his sleeve, or another tour around the corner, he rarely sits still – and that's how he likes it.

"It's been a busy year for me," he says. "I'm gonna start making a new album in November, and the plan is to start a world tour in January in South America, coming to Europe in April, where I'm hoping I get to do five or six gigs in England this time."

The secret, Glenn says, is doing live shows... and lots of them. "My profile is getting higher and higher, hence the new albums have struck a chord with a lot of the new fans.

"The key element is the one-on-one situation. I'm not a brand. I'm a solo artist and it's something I've chosen to do. I didn't want to be in a metal band, playing one kind of music. I've done the right thing."

This aside, it helps to have a manager who thinks on your level.

"Myself and Carl Swann are so close about what we want to do with my work," Glenn says. "He's really been the key for me these last six years. He's been brilliant."

Not only this, but Glenn seems immune to the frustrations of many long-standing musicians trying to make a living in the age of the download.

"The beauty of it, in this time of free music, when nobody's getting paid and nobody's buying CDs, it's all about Youtube and seeing it live," he claims.

"I've built up a great fanbase all around the world. If an artist wants to start making music now and he hasn't already got a fanbase, it's virtually impossible."

Glenn's career has seen several collaborations with other big names, and earlier this year he shared the stage at Childline Rocks with former Deep Purple keys man Jon Lord.

Their appearance at the charity concert at the indigO2 in London was such as success that the pair are now talking about "going out and doing some shows".

So, jetsetting all across the world, Wolves matches, charity concerts, new albums. . . and now what the fans have been waiting for, Glenn's autobiography.

UK-based Joel McIver, wrote the best-selling biography of the late Cliff Burton, bassist with Metallica, and is helping Glenn fine tune the content.

"This book is so deep in flavour regarding my youth, all the crazy stuff that's happened. The book is in three parts, from the craziness to the solution.

"It's a very true account of things I'm very embarrassed by, how bad I looked and how bad I felt. I've had to kind of scratch out the wound."

Glenn admits it was hard opening up at first but has ultimately helped him.

"It's the most therapeutic thing I've ever done," he says. "You only get to do an autobiography once. This is it for me."

We'll have to wait for the book but, like Glenn's fellow Wolves fans, we can hopefully enjoy more winning performances on the stage – and on the pitch.

"I'm just another Wolves fan who happens to be a rock and roll singer. It's a real privilege. My parents and Wolves are the most important things for me in the UK. I love them to pieces."

Happy birthday, Glenn.

By Debbie Bennett