IF it wasn't for him starring as a hairy-toed hobbit in Peter Jackson's multi-million pound adaptation of Lord of the Rings, you'd be forgiven for thinking that the word "precious" doesn't feature in Billy Boyd's vocabulary.

Cranhill's most famous export is sitting on a sofa on the mezzanine level of an East End rehearsal studio while his band Beecake tune up below.

Having just returned from Belgium where he's filming his new project, Glenn, the debut feature of director Marc Goldstein, the 38-year-old is eager to get back into rehearsals for the world premiere proper of Beecake.

Fans from as far flung locations as America, Japan, Italy and Ireland have bought tickets, thanks to the legacy of the cult of Tolkein's epic creation, and it's a feat that's dumbstruck Barfly management.

"Weird, eh? But kind of fun," says Billy, attempting to take a sip from his steaming hot cup of coffee he's just bought from Coia's Cafe on Duke Street.

The reason Billy can pursue his rock star fantasy is all thanks to one very important person in his life - his nine-month-old son, Jack.

"I made a decision I wasn't going to leave the country in the last few months of pregnancy, and for his first four months I wanted to be in Glasgow - and four turned into six," says Billy.

"So while I was here, I was writing a lot, and then the guys started coming around the house, and then we started playing together." 10 singing actors Jamie Foxx The star of Miami Vice and Ray provided the vocals for Kanye West's hit Gold Digger, going on to become one of only four Oscar-winning actors to have scored a number one single in the US. His second album Unpredictable featured Mary J Blige, Kanye West and Snoop Dogg. Juliette Lewis The alternative star of From Dusk Till Dawn, Kalifornia and What's Eating Gilbert Grape turned alternative rocker for her band, Juliette and the Licks. Stomping debut album You're Speaking My Language was followed up by Four On The Floor, featuring Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl on drums. Minnie Driver Having cropped up as a pensive singer-songwriter with debut album Everything I've Got In My Pocket - and a Glasgow appearance supporting The Finn Brothers at the Royal Concert Hall - the Good Will Hunting star's musical career seems to have sunk without trace. Jared Leto The cherubic star of Alexander and Panic Room has put his film career on hold to concentrate on his band, 30 Seconds to Mars, formed with his brother and two friends. As vocalist and guitarist, Cameron Diaz's former squeeze has released two albums. Keanu Reeves Famously taking a bus from Glasgow to Hamilton to rock out at T in the Park with his band Dogstar, Speed and Matrix heart-throb Keanu is perhaps the most famous of the rocker-muso clique. But having put Dogstar, and its successor Becky, into hibernation, he's rumoured to have left the rock world behind. Bruce Willis The Die Hard star enjoyed success with single Under The Boardwalk and his pop-meets-blues album, The Return of Bruno. Kevin Bacon Since 1996, the The River Wild and Stir of Echoes actor has teamed up with his brother Michael for rock duo Bacon Brothers, with three albums, with a long list of live dates in the US. William Shatner The man better known as Star Trek's Captain James T Kirk has released several easy-listening albums, and performed a spoken word version of The Real Slim Shady for a Futurama episode. Lindsay Lohan When not out partying with Paris or Britney, or fainting on film sets, this flame-haired actress can be often found in the studio, augmenting her teen pop output. The 20-year-old sang a track on Freaky Friday and signed a contract with Casablanca Records. Russell Crowe The Oscar-winning star of Gladiator and A Beautiful Mind is still going strong with his band 30 Odd Foot of Grunts, who boast a song about Jodie Foster, entitled Other Ways Of Speaking. Tickets for the band's first gig in Texas in 2000 sold for around £250 on eBay.

Beecake is the musical by-product of spending a year at home in the Park District with girlfriend Ali, a ballet dancer and actress, and little Jack.

Far from being a guarded actor, wary of press intrusion, Billy is only too happy to show off photos stored on his mobile of his beautiful, blue-eyed boy, born in April last year.

"It's great. Jack's a riot. He's at that crawling, laughing, smiling age and he sleeps all night, which is brilliant."

Dedicating time to Beecake - the band's name comes from a photo of a bee-covered cake sent by mate and Lost star Dominic Monaghan - meant Billy put acting on the back burner.

He's in talks with record companies about releasing a record, and he's given the band a tentative five-year target to record an album and tour.

So isn't he worried about the naff actor-turned-rock-star associations?

"Everything you do, you arrive with baggage.

I did music before I acted. I can only be honest and play the music that I want to play. I'm loving playing with the guys."

The "guys" in the band are three of Billy's closest friends - Cranhill Secondary classmate Billy Johnston, 37, who played guitars with Billy from age 14; their peer from Easterhouse John Crawford, 39, and Rick Martin, 43, who they got to know through playing in Billy's previous bands, including Foreign Country and Duck City.

While the former HarperCollins bookbinder's life has been transformed thanks to his role as Peregrin "Pippin" Took in Lord of the Rings - and starring with Russell Crowe in Master and Commander, and On A Clear Day with Peter Mullan - the rest of the band have jobs far removed from the glitz of the industry: John is an adult learning support worker, Rick a postman and BJ works in prescription pricing for the NHS.

But as they tear into self-penned track Rip It Up, the band sound the seasoned outfit after just year together; the swing of Santana meets earnest jauntiness of Snow Patrol.

The exclusive Beecake preview is as scorching as the brightly-painted walls of Urban Studios.

"We've got to be better than everyone else because people have that expectation with an actor in a band," says bassist Rick, who lives in Croftfoot.

"Ticket sales have been exceptional, and these people have spent a lot of money to see us, so we have to be good," adds drummer John, of Cambuslang.

To give up the day jobs and play drums- or bass or guitar or whatever - even just for a year, would be a great opportunity."

All three musicians testify that despite Billy's dalliances in Middle Earth, the swanky premieres and hanging out with Elijah Wood and Lost star Dominic Monaghan, his feet haven't left the ground.

The former paperboy, who was raised by his late gran after his parents died when he was in his teens, left bookbinding to go to RSAMD. Theatre roles and a part in Taggart followed before being spotted by Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson.

He made a personal musical contribution to the third part in the trilogy, The Return of the King, singing a self-penned song for the extended DVD scene.

The close bond between the male cast - Billy, Orlando, Dominic, Sir Ian McKellan and Elijah all got similar Elvish tattoos - is the stuff of celluloid legend, which lives on humbly in Glasgow.

"Orlando came to visit, with his girlfriend at the time Kate Bosworth, who was just in Superman, so they're two huge stars, and we're walking around Glasgow and no one cared," says Billy.

"If people stop you and ask for an autograph and a picture, that's great - it's part of your job."

Eagle-eyed residents of Penrith might just have witnessed Billy reunited again with Dominic for four days at Hogmanay (Elijah and Orlando couldn't make it this year) where the pair continued work on their as yet untitled feature film.

It's further proof that Billy is keen to have more creative control over his career choices.

"I love acting, but lately I've enjoyed doing something that immediately means something to you, rather than stepping onto someone else's story or someone else's ideas.

"And I enjoy doing comedy. We are interested in the classic comedians, such as Peter Sellers or Laurel and Hardy."

Before the Monaghan-Boyd comedy comes to fruition, Boyd fans can see the pint-sized actor this year in Save Angel Hope, an independent film by Swedish director Lucas Erni, which is expected to get its premiere in Cannes.

When it comes to starring in another big-budget Hollywood blockbuster, Billy is less certain of seeing his name in the billing.

"Yeah, if it was the right thing I'd do it. There's a lot of high school comedy movies, but y'know ... I'd rather be playing my guitar."

n Beecake play their sold-out gig at Barfly on Clyde Street on Friday.