Rowles, who's 62, says that was the time when Las Vegas was the place to be. It was also where he met Elvis Presley at the Caesar's Palace hotel.

``It was a great era,'' he told the Advertiser. ``There was an excitement in the air. Elvis walked in with his entourage. He invited us back to his suite.''

Rowles, who also befriended singer Tom Jones at that time, has had a career spanning more than 40 years and will return to the Campbelltown Catholic Club on Sunday.

This man with the big voice was born in New Zealand and ``discovered'' by Cliff Richard's manager, Peter Gromley, who took him to England to record what would become one of his biggest hits, If I Only Had Time. The single reached No.1 in England, New Zealand and Australia.

``That time, Australian and New Zealand artists had to go to England,'' he said. ``I wasn't quite ready for it. I didn't have a lot of education.

``I was from country New Zealand and I thought, `now I'm in a studio recording with a big orchestra'.

``I probably made a few mistakes along the way but I don't regret it.''

Rowles has proved he has staying power.

In November he'll put on a show in Hawaii, where he lived for 20 years.

``I've been going through all of my music through the years,'' he said.

``It's all in my garage and I'm just amazed at the songs that I've sung.''

Rowles has good reason to feel so good about his career.

He says the industry is now saturated now and that there are too many singers when once there were only a few special ones.

He recently released a new album, The Singer & The Songs, which includes a tribute to Peter Allen.

``It's my personal favourite,'' he said of this album. ``It's just something I wanted to do for myself. I want to get up there and continue my legacy with the songs that people love me for.''

Rowles has no plans of slowing down.

``It's in my blood,'' he said. ``It gets a bit hard, but I really look after myself. It never gets boring. I'll keep performing until I drop. I love it and it's my game. I don't want to be semi-retired sitting around waiting to die.''