It is perhaps fitting that Kid Creole and the Coconuts star August Darnell has chosen to begin his farewell tour in Britain, as it is a place he called home for many years. Although born and raised in New York's Bronx, his complicated love life meant he spent many years living in Sheffield, Manchester and London.

"It all has to do with ex-wives of course," he laughs today. "Although I never really married them. I've been married twice; the others were common-law wives. One lived in London, one lived in Sheffield and one lived in Manchester."

His children from those relationships bring his total offspring to nine, which could explain why he's waited until the ripe old age of 74 to finally hang up his hat.

"That's absolutely right!" he guffaws. "I have three boys and six girls - I love them all, but it's very expensive, because I have to see them alland they're scattered all over the place. But it's great, I love it."

Kid Creole and the Coconuts, with August as their flamboyant lead singer, were pop royalty back in the 1980s, counting even Princess Diana as a fan of their chart-topping hits Annie, I'm Not Your Daddy and Stool Pigeon.

With August flamboyantly dressed in zoot suits and his trademark fedora hat, accompanied by his multi-cultural, multi-racial band and a trio of female backing vocalists and dancers (The Coconuts), they brought a new sound to the British pop charts, blending disco, Latin American and Caribbean music and an image inspired by the big band era.

They won millions of fans and the Princess of Wales invited them to perform at a 1988 Barnardo's fundraising ball. On grainy film footage from the event, a smiling Diana, dressed in a stunning silver pleated lame gown, dances with designer Bruce Oldfield as the group perform their Top 10 single I'm a Wonderful Thing, Baby.

"She was a very kind and lovely lady and it was an incredible experience for me to meet her," August recalls with a smile. "I met her at the end of the show and she was wonderful. We're a big band - there were 14 of us all lined up - and she took the time to go down the whole line and say hello to everyone.

"When she stopped at me one of her people said, 'Take your hat off!'. My hat is always on, but not on that occasion! I remember her saying that Annie, I'm Not Your Daddy was one of her favourites. There was an interview later where she said that one of her favourite bands was Kid Creole and the Coconuts. That made me smile."

In his heyday August performed with musical greats including Cliff Richard, Barry Manilow and Boy George, but one big name who was less impressed was US superstar Michael Jackson.

The pair met at the Brit Awards in 1983, after August won Best International Artist. But the Thriller singer was put out that August made more of a fuss of Sir Paul McCartney, also at the event.

August recalls: "I was so excited to meet Paul McCartney. The Beatles had a huge influence on me when I started in the music business. They were my favourite band growing up, so when I met him, all those years later, I couldn't even explain to him how much that meant to me.

"He actually sang a line from Annie, I'm Not Your Daddy to me. It was the line that everybody remembers - 'If I were in your blood then you wouldn't be so ugly'. At the same time, I met Michael Jackson and I was not as much in awe of him as I was Paul McCartney, so I think Michael took that as an insult!

"He had attitude. It was because I made more of a fuss of Paul than him. But the fact of the matter is it was genuine, because Paul McCartney was like a God to me."

Now, however, after a lifetime of memories, seven Top 40 hits and 45 years performing, August is calling it a day. The band are embarking on a farewell tour - named the Bye Bye Birdy Tour - which opens in Birmingham with 10 dates around the country.

"I've been trying to retire for the last 15 years. I keep putting it off but this time seems to be real," August says. "I have other plans and I need the time and energy to dedicate to other missions.

"But I'm very excited about this final tour. It will last at least two years, because I have to perform in every country that Kid Creole has been successful in. We start with the UK in June, then we have to go to Italy, France, Germany, America and lots of other places."

Although he now resides in Hawaii, for many years August called South Yorkshire his home after a romance with Karen Smallwood, who met him at a show.

She was a 16-year-old working at a record shop in Worksop and they were pen pals for eight years before eventually becoming romantically involved. They lived together for several years near Sheffield and had daughter Savanna, now 29, best-known for her 2018 stint on TV reality show Love Island. "She's a singer - she's been on stage several times with me doing back-up vocals and she's been on some of my recordings. She also has several businesses, she's doing very well," August says proudly. "I also have two daughters who live in London - Ilanaluna and Ilselena."

Remembering all their names is one thing, but it is perhaps not surprising that with nine children spread around the globe, August needs a bit of prompting when asked their ages. "How old are they honey?" he says, turning to current wife Eva, who informs him his daughters are 23 and 24.

Many of his children followed him into the business. Ilselena is a singer, as is eldest son Dario, 36, and his younger brother Lorne. August met their mum Caroline while filming the musical There's Something Wrong in Paradise at Granada TV in 1984 and the family lived in Manchester for several years before August and Caroline split. Dario lives in Wales and Lorne in Copenhagen.

"I also have another son, Junior, who lives in New York and there's a daughter who I wrote the song Annie, I'm Not Your Daddy about. She's disappeared, but she claims I'm her father. I also have another daughter Avril in New York - my wife just reminded me," he adds. For many years August was married to head Coconut and choreographer Adriana Kaegi, who stayed with the band even after their divorce. His current wife, Leicestershire-born Eva Tudor-Jones, was one of the Coconuts for 23 years, but is now the group's manager. The couple live in Hawaii with their eight year-old daughter Ma'alaea.

Charming, warm, open and friendly, there's a lot more to August than his Kid Creole lounge lizard image and while his family life may be unconventional, it is clear he is devoted to his children.

"I'm a very hands on dad," he says firmly. "I'm more hands on with Ma'alaea than any of the other children in my entire life. She got lucky. I'm with her 24/7, whereas with the others I was on tour 300 days a year."

When this tour ends, August will be working on a musical based on his life called Off the Coast of Me (the title of his debut album), which he hopes to put on in London's West End. But he will miss performing the hits that defined a decade.

"It's been such a big part of my life," he reflects. "Now I'm in my 70s I'm shocked that I still love it. I still get on the stage with a smile and I'm able to dance and sing. There's going to be a void, but I don't have the drive to dominate my life with Kid Creole and the Coconuts. I do not have the ambition I used to and I definitely don't have the ego that I used to have. In my youth Kid Creole was everything, but now August Darnell is the centre of attention and Kid Creole is something I do."

Kid Creole and The Coconuts' Bye Bye Birdy Tour runs across the UK from June 18-29. For tickets, visit seetickets.com