HE was, beyond a shadow of a doubt, one of the most important songwriters of all time.

Whatever my musical tastes, I've always enjoyed the sublime songs of Paul Simon and his timelessly brilliant work is certainly up there with the classic compositions of Lennon and McCartney and the lyrics in particular, are pure poetry.

Now a show is coming to Bowdon's Cinnamon Club to celebrate the work of the master musician - Sounds of Simon.

Ben Bowden will play the iconic pop star and he'll be joined by Adam Ellis as Art Garfunkel, Simon's musical partner in a show that takes us back to the tail end of the 50s, when Simon and Garfunkel were known asTom and Jerry.

Ben said: "We start with their first hit, Hey Schoolgirl, which they released in 1957 when they were called Tom and Jerry. at the age of 16, they sold 150,000 copies! Then we track through the Simon and Garfunkel years, and into Paul Simon's solo career, all the way through to the songs from the Grammy award winning Gracelands album."

The duo will also be joined on stage by a full band.

Ben added: "On stage, we dress as them, and we talk through their careers together and separately. We run video clips from their career together as well."

For Ben, Paul Simon is "just the business" and the complete musical package.

He said: "There is not a misplaced chord or lyric, and the songs resonate through the years like no other person from his era. Where his contemporaries Dylan, Lennon, McCartney, and so on have either stopped, or faded into caricature, or whatever, Paul is still there."

* Sounds of Simon is at the Cinnamon Club on Friday, December 5, at 7.30pm. Tickets are available from 0161 926 8992 or thecinnamonclub.net.