PATTI Boulaye celebrates the life and music of Billie Holiday, the inspiration for her love of jazz, in Billie & Me at Selby Town Hall on April 28 at 8pm.

Boulaye's one-woman show is playing only a handful of venues outside London, wherein the singer and musical theatre star discusses her parallels with the career path of jazz icon Billie Holiday.

Holiday’s life, songs and the cause of her death have had a strong impact on modern-day artists, not least Boulaye, who will perform many of Holiday’s best-known songs, as well as her own personal favourites such as That Ole Devil Called Love, Nice Work If You Can Get It, Lover Man and God Bless The Child.

This year marks the 47th anniversary of Boulaye’s West End debut at the age of 17 in the musical Hair, a show that changed the course of her life when she joined the cast after arriving in London from Nigeria in the early 1970s.

She came to prominence as a singer after winning the ITV talent show New Faces, making history in 1978 by becoming the only contestant ever to receive a maximum 120 points from the judging panel.

Boulaye, who was awarded an OBE in 2016 for her charity work in Britain and Sub-Saharan Africa, has published her autobiography, The Faith Of A Child, which charts her life story through wealth, poverty and civil war, to show-business stardom and success in both Britain and her native Nigeria.

"Patti’s moving one-woman show has already received some fantastic reviews from her London residencies," says Chris Jones, Selby Town Council's arts officer.

"Her appearance in Selby is one of only four dates this year outside London and the south east. It’s a rare opportunity to hear Patti’s brilliant voice and enjoy a selection of timeless Billie Holiday classics."

Tickets cost £15 on 01757 708449 or at selbytownhall.co.uk or £17 on the door from 7.30pm.