Mike was a founder member of The Searchers, one of the many bands that came out of the Merseybeat boom, and it was his voice and jangly guitar that can be heard on the band's many hits.

These included such classics as Needles And Pins (co-written by Sonny Bono of Sonny and Cher fame), When You Walk In The Room, Sweets For My Sweet and Sugar And Spice.

Mike's 12-string guitar work was particularly striking and was an inspiration to the likes of Roger McGuinn of The Byrds. The hits dried up in the late 60s and eventually Mike had had enough and eventually went out on his own. He recalls: "By the 80s we were signed with Sire.

There was us and The Pretenders and it was a toss-up as to who they were going to back. We lost!"

As it happens things have worked out pretty well. "Yes, I've been much happier," he agrees. "I can make my own plans. At my age (he's 66] I'd much rather be my own boss. I even make sure that I can take my wife when we have gigs abroad."

He now usually goes out with a new band as Mike Pender's Searchers with his son Mike on drums, but has recently been on tour with the Oh Boy It's The 60s Tour with Brian Poole, Chris Farlowe and PJ Proby.

Mike and The Searchers are back in the public eye with the release of a 25-track compilation CD, The Very Best of The Searchers.

"It's even got my favourite on. Take It Or Leave It only got to number 31 in the charts in 1966 and we only had one more hit after that. I thought at the time that it would be a big hit, but sadly it wasn't," says Mike.

The reason the CD has charted so well (it reached number 11) is simple as far as Mike is concerned.

"You can always sell nostalgia and there are a lot of people out there who still like us. The Searchers themselves haven't recorded any new music in a while so you know you're gonna get the original hits, by the original band."

The Very Best of The Searchers is out now.