FORMER Rolling Stone Mick Taylor – a man who has wandered through the lobbies of five star hotels all over the world with barely a second glance – was clearly fascinated by his relatively humble lodgings in Bournemouth on Sunday night.

Standing in the rock ’n’ roll-themed Bourne Beat Hotel he surveyed the memorabila, posters and photographs that cover the walls.

“This is amazing, there’s everyone here from The Beatles to Charles Chevalier,” he said as he inspected the collection lovingly assembled by owner, Dave Robinson.

Taylor, who was in town with his excellent All Star Blues Band for a gig at nearby Landmarc, had agreed to officially “open” the hotel in return for a meal for the band and a bed for the night.

He duly signed a guitar – a Gibson Les Paul copy – and posed for an obligatory photo or ten with the ever-enthusiastic Mr Robinson.

There wasn’t actually anyone much there to witness the monumental moment, but it was a shrewd move. As former record company finance man Robinson said earlier in the week: “I figured the two surviving Beatles were otherwise engaged so I got a Rolling Stone to open the hotel instead.”

Taylor and the band took to the place with some glee happily perusing the extraordinary collection of rock ’n’ roll memories relating to acts that have played Bournemouth over the past 45 years. These of course included his erstwhile band-mates from the Stones and many other friends, including Bob Dylan who he toured and recorded with, playing gigs that he now tellingly refers to as “the highpoint of my career so far”.

And so to Landmarc where Taylor, a big likeable bear of a man, proved beyond doubt that his extraordinary CV – that so far includes not only his work with Dylan and five years with the Rolling Stones but significant stints with John Mayall, Jack Bruce, Little Feat, Buddy Guy and Carla Bley too – has a way to go yet.

Backed by a band of seasoned session men, with Denny Newman on guitar, Kuma Harada on bass, Max Middleton on keyboards and Jeff Allen on drums, he showed that he is still a sublime blues guitar player.

He delivered classics that included Muddy Waters’ You Shook Me, the old Mayall favourite, Fed Up With The Blues, Stones classics Can’t You Hear Me Knocking and No Expectations and the brilliant Dylan-penned, Blind Willie McTell, which came complete with a joyous diversion into All Along The Watchtower. A vintage evening!