FAMILY and friends of former York resident David Gest paid their last respects to the American music producer and reality TV celebrity by scattering his ashes and releasing white doves in an emotional ceremony at Clifford's Tower on May 15, in accordance with his final wishes.

Tomorrow night, the rest of York has the chance to bid farewell at the opening night of the Alive With Soul: A Tribute To David Gest and Billy Paul Tour, in honour of the impresario and the Me And Mrs Jones singer, who had twice performed in Mr Gest's soul shows at York Barbican.

Originally, in a Mark Twain kind of moment, David had given the tour the name of 'David Gest Is Not Dead But Alive With Soul Tour!', in the light of his fellow contestant on January's Celebrity Big Brother, Tiffany Pollard, mistakenly thinking David Gest, not David Bowie, had died.

Mr Gest passed away in a London hotel at the age of 62 on April 12, but his best friend and co-producer, Imad Handi, is now overseeing the 24-date soul revue tour that also will visit Hull City Hall on July 4, with a line-up of Dina Carroll, The Stylistics' Russell Thompkins Jr, Deniece Williams, Peabo Bryson, The Tymes, Freda Payne, Melba Moore, Anita Ward and Fern Kinney.

York Press:

The late David Gest hosting David's Gest's (I've Had) The Time Of My Life soul revue at York Barbican in September 2015. Picture: David Harrison

Freda Payne, the voice of Band Of Gold, is taking over David Gest's role as the show's principal compere. "It's an honour that I'd never thought I'd be required to do," says the 73-year-old soul singer, musicals star and film actress, who has hosted a TV talk show too.

"David was my best friend for four decades, but in some ways we were opposites. He was a mischievous prankster and storyteller; I was more reserved, quiet; he was the funny guy, I was the straight one."

Freda emphasises what the tone of her compere role will be. "First of all, I don't consider myself a comedian. I'm a singer. I'm very respectful. If they wanted someone humorous like David, they'd have to go to a real comedian, but this is a tribute to the memory of David, and everyone on the bill, especially those who had known David over the years, wanted the shows to be in that spirit."

Casting an eye over the bill, Freda says: "There were new additions to the latest show that David had brought in, such as Melba Moore and Anita Ward, and he was very excited about booking Dinah Carroll and of course working with my friend Peabo Bryson, one of THE great vocalists. Then there's Deniece Williams, who had known David almost as long as I had."

Freda stresses she will not be a lone voice in hosting the soul revues. "I'm not going to be doing it from the beginning to the end of each night; they'll be helping with presenting the shows," she says.

As she looked back at what marked out David Gest in the world of music, Freda summed up his qualities this way: "David could really shake things up with his off-the-wall ways," she says.

"We first met in 1973, in Los Angeles, where at the time he was employed by London Records in their PR department, and his main client was Al Green. I don't remember how he got my number but he started sending me records by Al Green and other artists. Then he invited me to the Whisky a Go Go in Sunset Boulevard, and I remember he introduced me to The Doobie Brothers."

Come the 1980s, David Gest was mounting galas with "some of the greatest stars in the industry, all of them headline acts from Las Vegas, with movie stars attending in black tie", establishing the format of shows where each act would do two or three songs each, be it The Four Tops, Ray Charles or Tony Bennett.

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David Gest with Candi Staton at York Barbican

After rolling out such shows in America, latterly David introduced his soul revues to Britain and Freda has enjoyed playing her part. "We're not 25, 35, 45, any more, but you perform like you've just had your number one hit," she says.

"I love what I do and my career has spread beyond my hit song Band Of Gold [number one for six weeks in the British charts in September and October 1970].

"I do a tribute to Ella Fitzgerald, First Lady of Song; I've done Broadway shows as well, Duke Ellington's Sophisticated Ladies, and I did Blues In The Night too."

As her thoughts return to David, how will Freda feel tomorrow might? "It's still hard for me to accept that David's really gone. He always reminded you of the little boy that cried wolf because he was such a storyteller that you never knew when he was telling the truth, but I spoke to him five days before his passing and he said, 'this is going to be the last show that I produce', but of course you didn't think it was going to be the last show," she says.

"Then he said to me, 'you know you're going to live longer than me', and I said, 'no, I'm ten years older than you', but that's what he said."

Freda cherishes her memories of a man who loved the world of soul music and entertainment. "David always said to me he didn't want to be out in the spotlight. He always wanted to put the stars in the limelight," she says.

"But being formerly in PR, he knew how to get people into the spotlight, and when he triumped on reality TV, he showed his own charcater, how humorous he was.

"Suddenly he was this star overnight and I stood back in amzement and realised he had become this star who indulged those around him wherever he went and it was like he was running for office!"

Alive With Soul: A Tribute To David Gest and Billy Paul Tour, York Barbican, tomorrow, 8pm; Hull City Hall, July 4. Box office: York, 0844 854 2757 or at yorkbarbican.co.uk; Hull, 01482 300300.