Country singer Mickey Gilley is set to tour for the first time in five years after making a miraculous recovery from a freak accident, which left him paralysed from the neck down.

The Room Full of Roses star, 78, had been helping a friend move house in Branson, Missouri in the summer of 2009 when he tripped and fell, causing the sofa he had been carrying to land on top of him, crushing four vertebrae.

He was confined to life in a wheelchair, but after years of intense physical therapy, Gilley has learned how to walk again - and now he is preparing to hit the road.

Gilley says, "I have always loved performing and I know nothing else. Getting back on stage in all of these cities is something to look forward to each and every day.

"The outpouring of love and concern from the fans, my fellow artist friends, and the music community has kept me fighting to walk back on that stage, so I am glad that time is finally here."

The singer kicks off his comeback tour in Claremore, Oklahoma on Friday (21Mar14) and he will perform across Illinois, Texas, Nevada, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Mississippi and Louisiana until the end of July (14).