After spending the last 10 years in the wilderness, the man they call Fast Freddie AKA Fred Horton, has been found.

For years he was talked about by Crawley folk as the bricklayer from Langley Green who went from gigging at The Apple Tree in West Green to touring with Cher in 1990.

A former pupil of the Sarah Robinson secondary school in Ifield, he was part of rhythm and blues band Freddie and The Fingertips who released the album New Town Soul and supported acts such as Curtis Mayfield and Dr Feelgood.

But by the late 1990s Fred Horton had disappeared off the radar in Crawley - the town he fondly wrote about in his music.
So where did he go? Well, he is now living the quiet life in Devon with his wife and son.

But is Fast Freddie about to return? Speaking from his new home in Seaton, he said: "My auntie left me her house in Devon and we decided to up sticks. I look out my window and I have the sea to my right and then there is the River Axe - it's beautiful.

"I've been pursuing other things. I love fishing and I go out on a fishing boat with my son and try to perfect the art of catching lobsters!

"However there is now a growing movement to put New Town Soul into the cultural history of Crawley."

Visit www.fastfreddie.co.uk to find out more about Fast Freddie and register to get regular updates on his possible return.

For the full interview see the Observer

Do you have any memories of Fast Freddie? Leave your comments below or email warren.fiveash@sussexnewspapers.co.uk.