Recently he has reinvented himself as a gravel-voiced crooner of classic tunes from the 30s and 40s that he has bundled together as The Great American Songbook. Three of the four albums in the series have topped the charts in America since 2002. Not bad for a man who is 64, but he's modest about those achievements. 'I have a decent voice and give a pretty good show and maybe there's been a lot of luck,' says Stewart of his longevity.

Fortune has indeed played a part. His breakout single, Maggie May, was originally the B-side to Reason to Believe and only became a hit after a radio disc jockey turned the single over. The song went on to become No1 in Britain and the US. 'I can honestly say if he hadn't done that, then I wouldn't be where I am right now,' he once confessed.

Stewart, who plays in Hong Kong on March 7 for the first time in 35 years, has endured as effectively as his contemporaries Elton John, David Bowie and Mick Jagger. He had realised he could no longer rely on his own songs to succeed in the 21st century.

He decided to mine an era before pop was born, giving a huskier interpretation of the songs of George Gershwin, Cole Porter and Irving Berlin. 'When I started that it was a labour of love,' Stewart says. 'It was something I just wanted to do. But it turned into one of my biggest successes.'

He has also covered the likes of Bob Dylan and Van Morrison on another collection of covers released in 2006 called Still the Same ... Great Rock Classics of Our Time. Stewart will perform some of these songs on his greatest hits tour, but not the 'great American' songs.

'I've been singing Maggie May since 1971. It gets a little boring, but it makes the audience react and that's what's important.' Stewart concedes he's a bit long in the tooth to sing Do Ya Think I'm Sexy, but does it anyway. He is, after all, as much a showman as a musician, and a crowd-pleaser to boot.

Born and bred in London, Stewart's family hail from Edinburgh and he's as fiercely a patriotic Scot as if he'd been born there. The youngest of five in a musically inclined family, his father bought him a guitar when he was 11 and he taught himself to play.

He spent more time on the football field than practising guitar, but after leaving Brentford, he had a short stint as a grave digger and took to busking. He was spotted playing in the street and signed to the Hoochie Coochie Men.

Stewart's talent and charm saw him sing briefly with the Jeff Beck Group, have a flirtation with the Kinks, helmed by his friend Ray Davies, and eventually become one of the Faces in 1969. The group produced several hit albums and singles, but it was the solo effort Maggie May, from his album Every Picture Tells a Story, that propelled him to stardom. 'It's still the highlight of my career, when that reached number one,' he says. 'It was great to see the expression on my mum and dad's faces. They had always encouraged me. They never told me to go and get a serious job.'

British pop music was in its post-Beatles pomp and Stewart recalls those early days fondly. 'Nothing's new any more,' he laments. 'It was all brand new in the late 60s and 70s. It was a rare honour to be in a band. Every Tom, Dick and Harry has one now,' he says. 'Nowadays record companies only look at the bottom line. They won't let people be creative and if you don't sell a certain amount of records, they'll drop you after two years.'

Stewart, who should have enough credit in the bank to do what he likes, has found it difficult to fulfil one of his few remaining ambitions - a country and western album - because his label isn't supportive.

Throughout the 70s and early 80s Stewart pumped out hits including the ballad Sailing, and dabbled in disco and New Wave genres.

While his star waned from the mid-80s, his reputation as a party animal and womaniser snowballed, as he was photographed with Miss Worlds, models, actresses and singers: mostly blonde, lithe and tall. Women who've fallen for his charms include his first two wives Alana Hamilton and Rachel Hunter, actress Britt Ekland, and models Kelly Emberg and Caprice Bourret. He's now married to Penny Lancaster, a star of the British television show Strictly Come Dancing. They tied the knot in Italy after eight years together and have two children.

'I don't get so much tabloid attention now,' he says. 'But I used to. It's all part of the reality of the business that I'm in. The paparazzi still follow my wife in her car because they want to photograph my son. That's not right, but I'm probably more patient than I have ever been.'

Stewart has six children, aged between three and 29: Kimberly (born in 1979), Sean (1980), Ruby (1987), Renee (1992), Liam (1994) and Alastair (2005). All are musical, he says. Kimberly is a successful fashion model who plays piano and violin, though the most likely of his progeny to follow in his shoes is Ruby, 21. 'She's got a fabulous voice and she's writing good songs,' he says, as excitedly as any doting dad. 'I'm not pushing her at all. She can do whatever she wants.'

His 'other' family may be reunited soon. He has been talking recently with Faces bandmate and current Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood, with whom he wrote hits such as You Wear it Well, about reforming the group. He's confident it will happen, but he's not sure when or how. 'I had dinner with Ronnie last night,' he says. 'We'd both like it to happen. It all depends on our schedules. And we need to iron out a few problems.'

A sticking point seems to be whether they do an extensive world tour like the Police, or a more momentous single concert, like Led Zeppelin. 'I'd like to do a one-off show. It's very much a possibility,' Stewart says. 'The music would stand up today.'

Stewart, who overcame thyroid cancer in 2000, has little left to achieve. He's played to more than three million people in Rio de Janeiro, won a Grammy in 2005 for Stardust ... The Great American Songbook Volume III, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. He may well follow his friend Sir Elton John in receiving a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth, having been awarded a CBE medal - one step below - in 2006.

Regardless, Stewart is unlikely to hang up his microphone any time soon. If his body and soul are willing he'll continue performing until he's 70. And he won't be hanging up his football boots either. He still turns out on the field for an over-50s team in LA made up of expat British plumbers, painters and decorators. 'I still enjoy playing,' Stewart says, as soccer-mad as any grass-roots fan.

He kicks soccer balls into the crowd during his shows, has a season ticket at Parkhead, the home of his beloved Celtic team in Glasgow, and even has a full-sized pitch at his 72-hectare estate in Epping Forest in Britain.

'I still think I'd prefer to have been a footballer,' he laughs. 'But I've nothing to complain about.'

Rod Stewart, Sat, 8pm, AsiaWorld-Arena, Hong Kong International Airport, Lantau, HK$580-HK$1,480 HK Ticketing. Inquiries: 2877 8260