THERE’S no doubting Weymouth’s musical heritage, producing great bands and musicians, and drummers, for donkey’s years, ever since the post-Beatles beat boom of the early Sixties.

And they’re a golden-hearted bunch of boys and girls who would willingly donate their time and undoubted musical niftiness to help a good cause at the drop of a hat.

And they’ll be quite a few hats dropped, and indeed buckets to be filled, next Saturday, July 21, when The Weymouth Big Busk takes over the town’s two main streets.

This mahoosive fundraising event has been masterminded by guitarist and all-round top chap Iain Weetman, erstwhile fretboard-worrier with The Mighty Fine and The Secrets.

“Virtually everyone I’ve approached about this has wanted to get involved,” Iain tells me.

“We have more than 30 solo, duos or bands playing at a total of eight locations in Weymouth town centre next Saturday, from 10am to 4pm.

"The borough council has been a huge help sorting out licences, and every shop we’ve asked about letting people play outside has also been very supportive.

“We’ll be collecting for Weldmar Hospicecare Trust, which is perhaps one of the reasons we’ve had so much goodwill.”

So who’s playing, I hear you ask (Yes, go on, tell us…) Well, it’s a veritable who’s who of the local music scene with such artists as Bitter and Twisted, Farrago, The Half Dead Darlings, Avid Bowie, Kipper, Roye Membury, Speedway Snails, Identikit, Andy Grant, Portland Community Choir, Weymouth Concert Brass, Brian Donnelly, Sammi, Gerry and Pete, Arron and Karina, Rob Davis, Mark Davis and Captain Monkey Fingers, to name just a few.

They will be singing, strumming, shaking and bashing things and generally making a right song and dance around four locations in St Mary Street and four in St Thomas Street, entertaining shoppers and passers-by, and all for a very good cause. So dig deep and give generously, okay?

Moving on, and we’re in the presence of two music legends over the next few days.

First up, and R&B institution Geno Washington is bringing his amazing Ram Jam Band to the Corn Exchange in Dorchester tomorrow night, Saturday July 14.

And I say institution because, quite frankly, anyone who has ever witnessed one of his shows or played with him would agree he should be in one. What a showman!

Geno has been tearing up dance floors all over the planet since the Sixties and is such a soul legend that Dexy’s Midnight Runners wrote a song about him and, to this day, Come On Eileen is their biggest-selling record.

Tickets for tomorrow night are £20 and available from the box office on 01305 266926.

And the second music legend is none other than Kiki Dee, who is the special guest at one of Ben Waters’ summer concerts next Friday, July 20, at Greenford First School at Maiden Newton.

Kiki, who had global smasheroonies with songs such as Amoureuse, I’ve Got The Music In Me and, of course, Don’t Go Breaking My Heart with, oh you know, whatsisname, that little fella with the glasses.

As Ben says: “The band and I played a concert here in the grounds of the school about 10 years ago and it was a super night, one of the best we can remember!

“We thought it about time to go back and have a really big party and invite my favourite musicians.

“I am organising a series of concerts in my favourite places to celebrate summer in beautiful surroundings with my favourite music echoing around the Dorset hills.”

Tickets are £25, with £5 going to school funds, and are available from benwaterspicnic.com Till next time…

GIG GUIDE

TONIGHT (13)

Dub Pistols, Rusty Shackle, Shoot the Moon, Leggomen, Black Water County and many more (Jurassic Fields, Bridport)

Oas-is, Stereoironics (Weymouth Pavilion)

Dean Man’s Clique (Finns, Weymouth)

Mama Feelgood (Wyke Smugglers, Weymouth)

David Howes (Weymouth Working Mens Club, Weymouth)

Rich Baxter (Gloucester, Weymouth)

Vanilla Radio (Golden Lion, Weymouth)

Billy Solo (Wellington, Weymouth)

Inner City Smugglers (Royal Portland Arms, Portland)

Darren H (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth)

Martin Freed (Royal Oak, Weymouth)

Total Madness (Duke of Cornwall, Weymouth)

Sue Hawker’s Blue Train (Boat That Rocks, Portland Marina)

Elvis Pete (Duke of Albany, Weymouth)

SATURDAY (14)

The Dualers, Tankus the Henge, The Leylines, 3 Daft Monkeys Doctor and the Medics and many more (Jurassic Fields, Bridport)

Geno Washington and the Ram Jam Band (Dorchester Arts Centre)

Dizzy Lizzy (Finns, Weymouth) £6 on door for this Thin Lizzy tribute.

Surfing Birds (Sailors Return, Weymouth)

TBC (Wyke Smugglers, Weymouth)

Dale Fender Band (Weymouth Working Mens Club, Weymouth)

The Decatonics (Gloucester, Weymouth)

V8 Hearts (Golden Lion, Weymouth)

The Relics (Tom Browns, Dorchester)

The Katz (King’s Head, Bradpole, Bridport)

Replay (Red Lion, Hope Sq, Weymouth)

Handle With Care (Wyke Regis Working Mens Club, Weymouth)

Chris Woodchuck (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth)

Hot Bacon (Park, Weymouth)

The Silhouettes (Spitfire Club, Crossways)

Martin Freed (Duke of Cornwall, Weymouth)

Komakino (Market House, Weymouth)

Outrage (Centenary Club, Weymouth)

Sheryl Lee (Duke of Albany, Weymouth)

Compass (Hardy’s, Dorchester)

Monkey Jump (George, Portland)

SUNDAY (15)

Replay (Red Lion, Hope Sq, Weymouth) 2pm.

Tim Andrews (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth) 3pm and 8pm.

Ricky Solo (Sailor’s Return, Weymouth) From 3pm.

The Silhouettes (Greenhill Gardens, Weymouth) From 2pm, in aid of Weldmar.

Stacey Lou (Duke of Cornwall, Weymouth)

Fluke Unplugged (Three Compasses, Charminster)

Scots Dan’s Open Mic (Duke of Albany, Weymouth) 6pm.

Gut and Steel (Kings Arms, Weymouth) 7.30pm.

MONDAY (16)

Tim Andrews (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth)

Acoustic session (Belvedere, Weymouth)

Danny Adams (New Vic, Weymouth)

TUESDAY (17)

Ricky Solo (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth)

Nina Garcia (New Vic, Weymouth)

WEDNESDAY (18)

Tim Andrews (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth)

Wessex Folk Night (Sailors Return, Weymouth)

Open Mic Night (Rock, Weymouth)

Stacey Lou (New Vic, Weymouth)

THURSDAY (19)

Ricky Solo (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth)

Traditional Tune Session (Cove House Inn, Portland)

Ukulele Sessions (Sailors Return, Weymouth)

JD Acoustic (New Vic, Weymouth)

FRIDAY (20)

Courtney Pine, Omar (Dorchester Arts Centre)

Kiki Dee, Replay (Greenford School, Maiden Newton)

Zoe Schwarz and Blue Commotion (Finns, Weymouth)

Drive By Jamming (Wyke Smugglers, Weymouth)

Sweet FA (Gloucester, Weymouth)

Bad Intention (Golden Lion, Weymouth)

Steve Wilson Band (Royal Portland Arms, Portland)

Ricky Solo (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth)

Sheryl Lee (Park, Weymouth)

Billy Solo (Wellington, Weymouth)