THE cream of the world's guitar talent is lined up to pay its respects to legendary DJ John Peel at this year's Wirral International Guitar Festival.

The three-week festival will be dedicated to the Heswall-born DJ, who died of a heart attack while on holiday in Peru last week. It starts on Tuesday (November 9) and ends on November 28.

Festival co-ordinator Rob Smith told me: "John Peel was a huge influence on many of the artists appearing and, given his local roots, it was thought fitting to honour his memory in this way.

"Wirral has a national music festival of which we are justifiably proud. We have a concert programme that will inspire and we hope that it will inspire visitors to have a good time, too.

"We felt it was fitting to honour the memory of John Peel by dedicating the festival to him this year. I hope that his memory will encourage people to not just go and see the bands and artists they already love, but to try something new - which is exactly what John spent his life doing."

Peel was born John Robert Parker Ravenscroft into a well-off Heswall family on August 30, 1939, and became one of Wirral's most famous sons.

Having completed military service in 1962, he travelled to Dallas, Texas, where he used his Liverpool connections to help him get his first job in radio by telling the station manager that he was a friend of The Beatles - a while lie that led to an illustrious career that spanned more than 40 years.

Returning to England in 1967, he worked for the offshore pirate radio station, 'Radio London', where he first adopted the name 'John Peel'. When the station was forced to close, John joined the BBC's new music pop station, where he established himself as a music icon.

The line-up this year includes Wirral's Gary Murphy, Karl Lornie and Alternative Radio, featuring brothers Rob and Alan Fenna. Legendary American blues guitarist Walter Trout kicks off the programme, which includes a host of other big names, including Pogue sparring partners 'The Men They Couldn't Hang', the voice of Squeeze Glenn Tilbrook, '60s folk guitarist Ralph McTell and former Ultravox star Midge Ure.

Martin Taylor teams up with French violin virtuoso Didier Lockwood, unique fingerstyle guitarist Eric Roche will play with Guitarist magazine's 'Acoustic Guitarist of the Year 2002' Stuart Ryan, acclaimed singer/songwriter Christine Tobin and her band and Africa's greatest jazz guitarist Lucky Ranku.

This major music festival already enjoys a global reputation that celebrates a huge array of guitar styles. You can enjoy soloists, groups, ensembles and orchestras, playing blues, jazz, classical, rock, country, flamenco, slide or folk.

Venues range from concert halls, theatres and museums to pubs and clubs and for players there are workshops as well as concerts where world-class players pass on their skills and leave a legacy for the next generation of musicians.

In previous years, hundreds of people have enjoyed the festival, with many travelling hundreds and sometimes thousands of miles to attend - such is its reputation.

Festival programme details, and tickets, are available from Pacific Road Arts Centre box office on 647-0752, the Floral Pavilion box office on 639-4360 or via the website: www.bestguitarfest.com