BANJO-playing former comedian from South Lakeland has struck a nostalgic chord at a special reunion concert at New York’s Carnegie Hall.

Harry Black, of Bowness, got the surprise invitation to perform with musicians he once shared the stage with in the 1960s.

Back then, Liverpool-born Mr Black played banjo for the Your Father’s Mustache banjo night club chain in the USA.

He also played in a showband from the chain which would perform a warm-up act for the famous Ed Sullivan Show, broadcast every Sunday.

When Mr Black returned to Europe, he set up Your Father’s Mustache night clubs in Blackpool and Brussels, recruiting other banjo players to perform in the bands. The chain recently held a 50th reunion concert for its former musicians.

Mr Black, now 73, was invited to take part in the mass banjo performance at the world-famous Carnegie Hall.

“It was the first time I’d seen the banjo players and other musicians I performed with in more than 40 years,” he said.

“It was a very emotional experience.”

After moving on from Your Father’s Mustache in the 1970s, Mr Black spent some years in the licensed trade - running the Cross Keys Hotel in Milnthorpe and the Hole-in-the-Wall in Bowness.

He then became a stand-up comic, performing in clubs and on cruises. In the 1980s, he appeared in ITV’s The Comedians.

His other claim to fame is playing his banjo on the opening night of Liverpool’s Cavern Club, famous for launching The Beatles.

Mr Black has lived in Bowness for 40 years.