A SINGING Big Issue seller has wowed Derby's shoppers so much that nearly 5,000 people have joined a website created in his honour.

Dave Campion, 29, has been using his dulcet tones to wow city centre customers for two years, with tunes ranging from Motown to heavy metal.

Now a Facebook page called "The Singing Big Issue Man in Derby" has attracted 4,816 members.

Dave said he was looking for a job and planned on spending his spare time building a music career.

He said: "You get some people walking past who just call me an idiot, but there are others who say I can sing.

"My influences are in R&B, reggae and garage. It would be brilliant if I could make a career out of singing."

Even if he is not successful, Dave's impressive following marks a remarkable rise to fame.

Dave became homeless at 16 after problems with his family.

He had suffered from violent temper outbursts which he said stemmed from a car accident at the age of eight which left him with head injuries.

He attended Southwood House, Holbrook – a Barnardo's school – which he described as being for children with behavioural problems.

When he left home he lived in trees on Bass Recreation Ground along with protesters battling against a new road. At that time, he briefly sold The Big Issue in Derby.

For eight years he worked in sales and moved to Sandiacre in 2006 with his girlfriend.

But he became homeless again after a year of unemployment and family difficulties, including a break-up with his girlfriend. He said: "I didn't have a job, couldn't pay the rent and decided I wanted live my own life.

"I started selling The Big Issue in Swansea and was living on a camp site."

It was in Swansea that he first decided to start singing as a way to get more customers and entertain himself.

He said: "It got dead boring standing there. People liked it so I carried on.

"I've a big repertoire now, from TV theme tunes like Bob the Builder and the Flintstones to rock, like Status Quo and Kings of Leon, Motown, Shirley Bassey and heavy metal."

Dave moved back to Derby in 2007 and was homeless until recently, when he finally managed to get a flat.

He began selling the magazine again but, at first, found his musical selling technique annoyed shopkeepers.

Dave said: "I used to work in Sadler Gate but some shopkeepers complained about the noise and city centre management decided I couldn't work there any more.

"For a couple of weeks, I sold in Lincoln and Burton but then The Big Issue gave me a call and said they wanted me back in Derby. Sales apparently dropped from 400 a week to 100."

Dave started working in St Peter's Street and has been there since December 2008.

He said he had already written rap lyrics of his own and he wants to make music in the style of R&B star Gnarls Barkley.

He said: "I'm going to look for work and then devote my spare time to music.

"If each of my Facebook fans gave me 50p I would be able to buy proper music equipment."

The tunes Dave has made with producer Mr Benji can be heard online at www.myspace. com/dmcakanotoriousbid

Click here to read some of Dave's lyrics.