Anyone who has watched Jools Holland’s BBC series Later over the past few years will probably have seen Georgie Fame pop up playing his Hammond B3 along with acts such as ska legend Prince Buster.

It is no surprise, as Fame, 67, was a major force in popularising early R&B, bluebeat and ska at London’s famous Flamingo club four decades ago.

The basement club in Wardour Street, Soho, was a haunt of African-American GIs in the 60s and was where Georgie Fame and his backing band, the Blue Flames, made their name. ‘Guys would come up and ask, “Have you heard Mose Allison, King Pleasure, Booker T?” They were so keen for me to hear stuff, they’d lend me their own records.’

Fame’s desire to hear new sounds has weaved its way into a distinctive style of singing and keyboard playing that embraces rhythm and blues, cool jazz, ballads, bigÊband swing and straight-ahead grooving.

It’s a long way from the Lancashire cotton mills where the former Clive Powell started work aged 15. Spotted at a summer holiday camp, he found himself in London and not long afterwards was given his stage moniker by legendary impresario Larry Parnes.

Only after the band he was in, which backed Billy Fury, was sacked did Georgie Fame and The Blues Flames really set the music scene alight. Hit songs followed and in the 70s there was a TV series with ex-Animals keyboard player Alan Price. But it is at his Hammond B3 where Fame is most at home.

His appearance in two weeks’ time will be as The Georgie Fame trio, which features his two sons, James and Tristan Powell.

He frequently plays residences at jazz clubs such as Ronnie Scott’s and was the headline act on the Sunday night on the Jazz World stage at the 2009 Glastonbury Festival. ‘Some people think I’m a rock ‘n’ roll musician and some think I’m a jazz musician but for me, there is no difference,’ he has said.

Fame is someone who stays away from categories and pigeonholes. He avoids the media circus – ‘I keep my head down and try to keep growing and learning things’.

‘I don’t listen as much as I’d like because I’m always out playing.

‘I’m just happy to be part of it, playing in the band. It’s like playing your life, really.’

* The Georgie Fame Trio are at The Fermain Tavern on Friday 25 February. £25 on the door.