IN TRUE country and western tradition, York cabaret and club singer Suzy Martell has risen above two throat operations and a hysterectomy to land a dream record contract in Nashville.

Suzy, 31, of Melrosegate, Heworth, will fly to the American capital of country music next Wednesday with a 120,000 dollar contract to record an album with top American session players.

"I can't believe this is happening. It's all a dream and it's coming around so quick now," says Suzy, whose last British show before heading for Nashville was at the Humber St Andrew's Working Men's Club last Monday. Two years ago, Suzy could never have envisaged such an opportunity.

"I had to have an operation to have my tonsils out and a little lump in my throat - nodes, they call them - and then I came back to singing too quickly, so ended up back in hospital, as my throat was bleeding," she said.

Suzy had been singing country music since the age of 15, performing as many as 300 shows a year in clubs and cabaret, not least a regular gig in York at the Bay Horse, in Marygate.

The wear and tear and hasty comeback led to a second operation and a year out from singing to undergo speech therapy at York District Hospital.

Suzy found herself back in hospital last December for a hysterectomy, and while holidaying in Nashville last January, she was spotted by the managing director of an independent record label.

Suzy will be cutting her album over a three-week period, with plans for a launch in York in December. "I'm being very insistent on that. The record company wanted it to be in London, but I was adamant it had to be York," Suzy said.