Soul star flies in to perform gig on fan's 40th birthday

MUSIC fans are used to receiving a CD of their favourite acts for their birthday – but when Tracie Callaghan turned 40, she decided to go one better.

The travel agent decided she wanted to fly her idol, soul star Alexander O'Neal, to travel to Edinburgh to perform a one-off gig at her birthday party and – for a fee – he was happy to oblige.

Ms Callaghan said: "All my friends are 40 this year and they were all having parties, but Tracie's got to be bigger and better.

"We have a house in Spain and we were there last September. He was in concert on the TV and I said 'Do you know what, if I can have Alexander O'Neal, then I'll have a 40th birthday.

"When I came home I just thought 'I'm going to find him'. I found his management company, contacted them and they were absolutely brilliant."

Her mother, Patricia Sheridan, agreed to foot the bill as a birthday present, and the star flew in from his home in Minneapolis for the one-off show on 26 March.

Ms Callaghan, who lives in Duddingston, could barely contain her excitement when he arrived. She said: "I asked would it be OK if I picked him up at the airport because I couldn't wait until the evening to see him.

"BA met him off the aircraft and brought him out and I just flew into his arms. What a gentleman – he treated me like a princess the whole day."

When the party started at the Carlton Hotel on North Bridge, hardly any of the 150 guests knew what was afoot until Ms Callaghan stepped up to introduce the singer.

"I said something like 'Thanks to the Bank of Mummy. I absolutely love this gentlemen, I've seen him several times, he's a soul legend, here he is, Mr Alexander O'Neal' and the place just went wild. He walked in the room and started dancing with me and singing and he was on fire."

He performed a 45-minute set, including hits Criticize and Fake and a special rendition of "Happy Birthday".

It was a dream come true for the soul fan, who has already seen him perform live four times.

Mrs Sheridan, 62, would not reveal the final cost of her daughter's birthday present but said it was "a lot of money – many thousands of pounds – but worth every penny".

She added: "It didn't surprise me, knowing my daughter. I was delighted to be able to get it for her.

"It was lovely to see her having such a wonderful time and enjoying herself with her friends round about her."

O'Neal also seemed to win over a few more fans with his performance on and off stage.

She said: "He was tremendous. We're just so lucky that he came over for us – there's a memory for the rest of our lives.

"I think we were surprised at how comfortable he made us feel and how humble he was. He was such a wonderful gentleman."