It is rock’s most improbable success story and one which will give heart to all those who were distracted from dreams of rock stardom by parenthood and middle-age spread.

Mild-mannered Henry Harrison used to be a Twickenham architect with a nagging sense that he should have played guitar for Pink Floyd. Today the silver-haired 55-year-old is an NME “cool icon” and guitarist in the fast-rising band fronted by the son he tutored in his own personal “rock school”.

Yet the Mystery Jets are not just an inspiration to dads with Fenders gathering dust. Son Blaine Harrison, 20, was born with spina bifida and performs as lead singer on crutches. Henry started the group when Blaine was just 8, encouraging him to perform on stage to gain confidence and to show that his disability was nothing to be ashamed of. “Music was something we could all do together,” Henry said. “I thought my time had gone but why shouldn’t dad be in the band? There is no age limit in rock.”

Now the group are tipped for the top. The Harrisons are rehearsing for a sell-out British tour with band of the moment, the Arctic Monkeys, and a spring debut album release.

Their rise is all part of Harrison Sr’s plan. He said: “I played guitar in a band but gave up a massive opportunity in order to study architecture. Blaine became my project. I educated him in the right music and now he has given me a second chance.”

Henry, named the eighteenth coolest man in rock by NME, fed Blaine Pink Floyd albums aged 3, Mozart at 4 and Bob Marley aged 5. As the band grew with the addition of Blaine’s friends, Henry tutored them that “Oasis are evil” and encouraged them to explore 1970s psychedelic rock. He brought them instruments to learn and they were not allowed to play cover versions in order to encourage compositional skills. Their neighbours on Eel Pie Island in the Thames in southwest London took out a noise abatement order.

Henry’s “project” grew to fruition when the NME gave the band “track of the week” awards last year. The group was signed by an offshoot of Warners and a Top of the Pops appearance with their new single is scheduled next month.

Is father worried about temptations available on tour? “There are no rules, but fortunately the boys do not have a predilection for drugs,” he said.

Blaine said: “It is a bit strange when Dad is trying to get to sleep in the back of the tour bus and we want to stay up all night. But if I wanted to rebel against my dad I would have gone to work in a bank.” Henry added: “We are getting older people at the shows too, which is great because it gives me someone to talk to. No groupies yet, though.”

Their schedule for 2006 is “frightening”, with an assault on the United States, where they will take the opening slot which catapulted Franz Ferdinand and Kaiser Chiefs to stardom. The Mystery Jets play London Barfly on January 21 and the album Making Dens is released on March 6.

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