LIKE many great artists before him, it was only after his death that Nick Drake’s haunting music gained the recognition it richly deserved.

So it is heartening to see his sound being faithfully revived by experienced Kent-based guitarist Keith James who is touring the UK.

For the last three years he has taken Drake’s dark yet immensely gripping work to the nation and won plenty of friends in the process.

Given that the much-missed folk hero only played a handful of gigs in his brief lifetime (owing to his introverted nature and complex guitar tunings) it’s a treat to be able to hear his music performed live. A new book on this fascinating character, Darker Than The Deepest Sea, hits the shelves this month.

"The beauty, fragility and poignancy of Nick’s songs make them so individual and entirely timeless. It has been a real honour to be playing his music," explained Keith, who is also a producer and solo recording artist.

You can catch him playing material from his latest album, No.1 Paradise Road with a homecoming gig at the Gulbenkian Theatre in Canterbury on Friday, March 10.

His earthy sound mixes blues and folk to pleasing effect and has developed a similarly intricate guitar playing style to his great hero to whom he has been paying tribute in recent years.

"I’m 52 now and I don’t mind that I’m older, as it seems that you don’t get taken to seriously as a younger singer songwriter."

Originally born in Wiltshire, he spent much of his youth in the Guildford where he grew up listening to classic blues and rock with artists such as Clapton and Simon and Garfunkel being a big influence. He formed his first band Velvet Haze at 15 and his career in music swiftly followed on from this.

Though much of his early work involved recording blues and folk artists, he’s now enjoying being a performer in his own right.

Keith’s family on his father’s side all hail from Kent. He moved to his present home near Canterbury which he shares with his wife Dawn, seven years ago and appears well settled.

"I’ve found that Kent has seemed a lot less pretentious than other areas of the South East.

"There’s a great music scene, especially in the Broadstairs area which has its folk week. Coming here was the best move I have ever made."

* Ketih James plays the Gulbenkian Theatre in Canterbury on Friday, March 10. Tickets £10-12. Box office 01227 823282.