My Fantasy Band: Russell Watson

'Slash might clash with James Brown as they are both flamboyant stage-hoggers'

Vocals - James Brown

The Godfather of Soul was probably one of the best performers that has ever lived. He had one of the most incredible vocal ranges I've ever heard and he has all the attributes you would need to be a lead singer in a band. He was really cool.

Backing vocals - Roger Daltrey

If James Brown got a throat infection one night, I'd probably replace him with Roger Daltrey from The Who, so let's put him on backing vocals. He has that pure rock voice that's immediately distinctive. As soon as you hear the voice, you know it's him. All the greats have that.

Drums - Keith Moon

Simply for entertainment value let's have Keith Moon. Maybe he's not technically the best drummer, but he had rock'n'roll running through his bloodstream. He was a wild man and one of the most flamboyant drummers.

Bass - Bruce Foxton

I was a huge fan of The Jam growing up and in my opinion, Foxton was the glue that held the band together. It was only a three piece, but they made an amazing noise. On the early stuff like 'In the City' and 'All Mod Cons' were just astonishing, and part of that was down to Foxton and his amazing bass riffs.

Guitar - Slash

He might clash with James Brown as they are both flamboyant stage-hoggers, but he's one of my favourite guitarists. He's got buckets of personality.

Piano - Ray Charles

Again, if James was taken ill I can think of worse people to take over on vocals. He was a phenomenal performer, an amazing piano player and a legend. If this band had existed they would have had sell-out concerts all over the world.

Russell Watson's new album, 'La Voce', is out now on Epic Records. www.russell-watson.com