The charismatic vocalist of The Who is releasing his first solo album in 26 years, with new material and classic covers. Entitled “As Long As I Have You”, the record features Pete Townshend on seven tracks and is to be released in June.

Cover versions of music that has inspired him include “Into My Arms” by Nick Cave, “You Haven’t Done Nothing” by Stevie Wonder and “How Far” by Stephen Sills.

At the grand old age of 73, Roger has admitted he is now profoundly deaf and often relies on lip reading. Other health problems include suffering from meningitis in 2015 which led to him having severe doubts about his musical talent when making his ninth solo album.

Roger has said “Part way through creating it I became disillusioned. I was very ill with meningitis, and when I recovered and went back to recording, I thought it was rubbish and tried to buy it back from the record company to shelve it.”

To the relief of fans, Peter Townshend stepped in and persuaded Roger to give it a second chance. Now happy with the final result, a promotional tour is planned for the United States, starting New York on 8 June.

An autobiography is also in the offing; with the curious title “Thanks A Lot Mr Kibblewhite,” referring to one of his teachers. Covering his life both with and outside The Who, Roger says the book will pull no punches. “I was surrounded by addicts – I was the straight one – someone had to be tough, and it fell to me”.

The title track of the new album has been released as a single and is a cover of a 1964 song recorded by the Garnett Nimms.