She's teamed up with some of the biggest names in the music industry in a successful music career spanning more than 20 years and every corner of the globe.

Birmingham soul sensation Ruby Turner has gone up on stage with music legends like Jools Holland, The Temptations and Mick Jagger in her life as a singer.

And now she is preparing for a night of swinging soul with another veteran local legend - The Birmingham Post.

Turner, who went from a young immigrant in Handsworth in the 1960s to one of the best-known voices in the business, will be performing at one of the top nights in the 2008 social calendar, the 150th anniversary celebrations for the Post.

The singer said she was delighted to be appearing at the celebrations, saying: "I feel privileged to have been asked to do the show.

"It's a real honour. When I was rocking and rolling in Birmingham in the early years, the Post was always there watching us and doing reviews."

And she said the combination of her music and The Birmingham Post would be a perfect celebration of Birmingham then and now as a city, a music scene and a source of quality journalism.

"Being a Brummie and travelling, I got used to constantly hearing people talking about Spaghetti Junction and taking the Michael out of our accents. You spent all your time defending Birmingham.

"But now it's just fantastic. I love what they've done with the city centre, I feel really proud of the Bullring, I can just go out shopping all day."

And she added that she was hoping to see the city turn out the music stars of the future, just as it did when she started out in the buzzing pubs and venues of 70s Birmingham.

"I remember when I started out there seemed to be a music venue on every corner," said Turner, who got her big break in showbiz in the 1980s when she joined pop minstrels Culture Club.

"The Junction, the Selly Park Tavern, JB's in Dudley, we could play every week, and there was someone new on almost every night."

"A lot of those places have gone now, and I don't think you've got that kind of fantastic atmosphere for musicians now. It seems to be more about fame and the bling culture now. But I'm sure the guys from the 50s and 60s were saying the same things about us.

"There are a lot of great new acts out there, I love people like James Morrison, and even the Arctic Monkeys show that there are still proper bands out there representing what music in Birmingham was like back then."

Turner will be providing the entertainment for the Post's anniversary celebrations on February 29 next year, at a gala dinner held in the grandiose setting of Birmingham University's Great Hall to celebrate the vital role the paper has played in the history of the city.

Some 500 guests are expected to attend the exclusive evening, at which special guest conservative leader David Cameron will pay tribute to the publication.

The event will also serve as the launchpad of a major new annual awards ceremony by The Birmingham Post which will celebrate those who have made significant contributions to the city.

Tickets are on sale for £150 a head or £1,500 to book a table. For more information email Amanda Lane at amanda_lane@mrn.co.uk. For sponsorship, contact John Allen on 0121 2345785.