'I'm with you always:' US pop star Curtis Stigers re-ignites Doncaster gritter love affair

The jazz saxophonist has regularly exchanged amusing tweets with Doncaster Council after he became involved in a competition to name the authority’s gritting lorries three years ago.

And it seems the pair’s mutual love for each others is back for 2021, after I Wonder Why singer Stigers again swapped tweets with DMBC’s official Twitter account.

The authority tweeted: “It tells you how strange the last year has been that it doesn’t even seem that odd to see jazz legend Curtis Stigers cheering on our gritters. We won’t let you down, Mr S.”

The response came after the musician messaged the council, writing: “Go grit em, baby!,” later adding: “I’m with you always.”

The singer and council first swapped messages in November 2017 after Doncaster Council launched a competition to name some of its gritters.

The competition was thrown open to a public vote and attracted more than 40,000 votes on Twitter, drawing the interest of celebrities.

The two hilarious winning names were 'Gritsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Anti-Slip Machinery' and 'David Plowie'.

He suggested 'Grit Balls o’ Fire' for one of the names and said the naming campaign had even been mentioned on a radio station in Idaho in the US.

Former Shooting Stars host Bob Mortimer then messaged him to say: "Curtis Stigers has today been tweeting Doncaster Council about their gritting machines, surely that's all you need to know."

Then, in 2018, Doncaster Council bosses turned up at Doncaster railway station with a cup of tea for the singer after hearing he was on a train through the town.

But by the time they arrived, the star was already departed, further up the East Coast route on his way to Edinburgh for a music festival.

The council posted a video clip of a tray of drinks on a bench at Doncaster railway station and wrote: "We're ready when you are. Do you take milk? Curtis..... ......Curtis?"

The singer responded: "Sorry, dear. I just passed Durham Cathedral. It’s @EdinburghJazz or bust!