A MUSICIAN who was left paralysed from the neck down in a road crash, is to conduct a concert using just his head.

Clarence Adoo, 49, who grew up in Shoebury, was considered to be one of the UK’s best trumpet players before he almost died in a freak accident in 1995.

Before he was rendered wheelchair-bound, his talents had seen him in demand from bands all over the country, but Clarence relished his role as Southend’s Salvation Army bandmaster.

Although he lost his career and his ability to move, Clarence never lost his hope.

Clarence, who now lives in Newcastle, will be returning to south Essex on Saturday, July 17, when a concert in his name will take place at the Salvation Army’s Temple in London Road, Hadleigh.

Clarence will conduct the band in one of the numbers – the Light of the World – which he will do from his wheelchair using only his head. The concert is being organised by the Clarence Adoo Trust – a charity set up by Clarence’s friends and family to help pay for specialist equipment and the 24/7 hour care he needs.

Clarence’s lifelong friend, Brian Nichols, from Hadleigh, said: “He was very close to being Britain’s best trumpet player before the accident.”

Clarence grew up in Richmond Avenue, Shoebury, and went to Shoeburyness High School before winning a place at the London College of Music.

The life-changing crash occurred when Clarence and a pal were driving to Newcastle for a relative’s stag do. He was involved in an accident and his car flipped over.

Tickets for the concert cost £7 and are available by calling 01702 558913