Musician Hawley initial key to Lisa Marie's musical com...

Musician Hawley initial key to Lisa Marie's musical comeback: SHEFFIELD musician Richard Hawley has been enlisted by Elvis Presley's daughter to help relaunch her pop career. Lisa Marie Presley - watched from the wings by her mother Priscilla - appeared on stage with Hawley, of Greystones, as a surprise guest during his concert in London on Thursday night to announce their songwriting partnership. Hawley, the Mercury Prize-nominated former Pulp and Longpigs guitarist, recently rejuvenated the career of Amarillo singer Tony Christie from Conisbrough and is currently working with Dame Shirley Bassey on her comeback album. His manager Graham Wrench told The Star: "He's been writing songs with her for a while. She became a fan and they have a similar sense of humour and she has a really great voice.

"So on Thursday Rich just asked her, 'Fancy getting up tonight and playing a song?'

"It was all completely unrehearsed - the band hadn't heard the song until soundcheck. She hadn't been on stage in a few years. It was a magic moment in the encore. Priscilla was at the side of the stage."

Presley, who appeared at London's O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire, said she chose to collaborate with rockabilly crooner Hawley after she became a fan of his music. The two have already written a couple of songs together - one of which, Weary, they performed together.

Speaking after the concert, Presley said: "I wrote the lyrics, Richard wrote the music. I am the first person he has written a song for in that way."

She added the collaboration had so far been top secret, and that her decision to go on stage was spur of the moment.

Presley said: "I only knew I was coming on stage four hours beforehand. I was working with Richard and we decided I should go on, so I didn't have long to think about it."

But the singer, once married to Michael Jackson, said there is no game plan for her comeback, other than to write songs with Hawley who she described as a "lovely man" and a "good friend". (Lisa Marie Presley's World, Source: Gigwise)