SOMETHING a little bit troubling has happened as I’ve been researching my interview with sixties star Bob Jackson of Badfinger.

The group is experiencing something of a renaissance after having their track Baby Blue used in the finale of 'must-watch' TV show Breaking Bad.

I’ve just read up on this on the official Badfinger website - and, ever late to the party, merely on season three of the meth-mixing adventures of Walter White - my eyes forged ahead and I’ve just found out how the entire show ends!

But spoilers are a small inconvenience when it comes to enjoying the charms of warm, friendly and humble Bob on the phone.

The Coventry-born musician hit the heights with Welsh band Badfinger, joining in 1974 as the group was on the verge of superstardom, with a slew of hits behind them.

They had signed with the Beatles’ record label Apple in 1968.

Badfinger had four consecutive worldwide hits from 1970 to 1972: Come and Get It (written and produced by Paul McCartney), No Matter What, Day After Day, and, of course, Baby Blue. Their song Without You has been covered many times, including number one hits for Harry Nilsson and Mariah Carey.

But Badfinger were struck by tragedy at their peak, with band leader and creative driving force Pete Ham committing suicide in 1975 - leading to the group disbanding not long after.

I ask Bob how hard it was for him to move on after the tragedy.

“Peter died in 1975, he got so depressed.

“He had considerable personal difficulties after the years of being at Apple, there was difficulty getting the money from that and some years later Tommy Evans also committed suicide.

“There were some terrible times. The joyful thing was that the music carried on, there were some fantastic songs and they still stand-up today.”

I ask Bob if he ever wonders what could have been with Badfinger, the band perhaps best known for experiencing two tragedies.

“I did wonder about what could have been, but I try not to look back on things in life.

“I need to be looking forward.

“It’s a kind of mechanism, a survival mechanism, but I think with Badfinger we really could have gone from strength to strength.”

Experiencing the loss of a bandmate at such a young age was a steep learning curve for Bob.

“I’m a lot older and wiser now. When you look back at that time, being in your 20s, you think you know it all then but it’s only later you think ‘I wasn’t really that clever’.”

Bob’s ‘day job’ is performing with band The Fortunes - something he ably manages in what must be a very crowded diary.

He said: “I’ve been waiting year after year to find time to do a Badfinger tour and now the time had come - it’s like a relaunch.

“I’ll be performing with The Fortunes in Dorset soon and then I have to come back and do the next gigs with Badfinger.

“It’s not too hard slipping from one to the other because the template for it is similar - very big block harmonies and short catchy songs, they’re not a million miles away from each other.”

The All Star 60s Show will be like a kind of school reunion for the groups involved, I suggest to Bob - because performing alongside Badfinger are The Troggs, Brian Poole and the Tremeloes, The Ivy League and The Pacemakers.

“All these people who will be on tour with us have known each other for decades, it’s not always possible all the time to get together but when we do, when we’re passing each other in the corridor on tour it’s like a love-in, we’re in each other’s back pockets for six to eight weeks.

“This tour will be quite joyful. I’ve known all these guys for years. We love catching up on all the gossip.”

Fans can expect to see a 30 to 35 minute slot from Badfinger so all of the sixties greats get equal stage time.

“The only downside to this sort of tour is that we just can’t play all the songs we want to.

“People can expect to hear all the classic songs from the era reproduced just as they were then.

“The emphasis is on the melody and the song being short and snappy.

“Happily for us the catalogue is very well received and still kind of current.

“Our song Baby Blue was used in the final episode of Breaking Bad, the producer was a fan and wanted to use the song and it went to number one on the download charts after it was in the show.”

It is at this point that I tell Bob I am still working my way through Breaking Bad, but I just can’t bring myself to tell him I found out how the show ends through Badfinger's website - he's just such a nice man!

We move on to talk about how Bob prepares for his shows.

“I don’t know whether I’m proud or ashamed to say that I like to prepare for a show by finding a local pub and having a pint of Guinness. Just the one but it’s nice to have!”

I suggest that Bob will be spoilt for choice with pubs in Weymouth.

He said: “I know the area quite well, I have been to the south coast a lot.

“Unfortunately on the tour we never get a chance to look around.

“In my spare time it’s really the family and music that are the big thing.

“Music is my hobby as well as my living.”

n The All Star 60s Show is at Weymouth Pavilion on Tuesday October 20.