Wigan man hosts private gig by country music superstars in his back garden

Steve Dean is a hugely successful singer-songwriter based in Nashville who is more used to playing to massive crowds. He is currently on a US tour but he broke off to make an impromptu appearance in Wigan – his only appearance in the UK – last month.

It came about after a Wigan man saw the country music star perform while on a holiday in the southern United States.

The man, known only as “Horace,” told Radio 5 Live: “I was so enthralled with the music that I went backstage afterwards to chat with him. I said he should bring it to England.

"He liked me and we exchanged numbers, and I didn’t think anything more about it. I then got an unexpected phone call from Steve saying he was doing a tour with another country music legend, Billy Montana, and they’d like to meet up with me.

"What’s more, they said if I got hold of some guitars they’d do a private concert in my back garden.

"At first I thought he was kidding. When I told my wife we were getting some visitors from America and to get two bedrooms ready, she hit the roof at first.”

Horace went on to say that both the musicians and their wives stayed at his semi-detached home on a housing estate for four days in April.

"We invited as many people as we could for this concert in the back garden, and provided food for everybody,” he said.

"I cannot tell you how talented these two guys are. They played a few tunes and mixed with the people afterwards.

"What made it even more special is that after most people had gone, they did a private concert just for us in the house.

"It was extraordinary to see such talent close up. They explained everything about the songs they did and how they’d written it.”

Steve Dean’s touring itinerary on his website confirms that, nestled in among appearances in the US, he and Billy Montana were "performing in Wigan, England, April 19, 2024."

Do you know Horace or have any pictures of this event? Contact [email protected]