As Michael Jackson's guitarist of choice for his "Bad", "Dangerous" and "HIStory" world tours, Batten has played to over 10 million people in her career.

"It was always very surreal to look out and see 60,000 people who all knew the words to the songs," Batten revealed.

"By the time I got that gig, I'd been in six different bands, all different styles, playing things like showcases where there are six different bands at night and you hope people don't throw things at you! So it was a huge jump in many regards."

As well as the late Prince of Pop, Batten has also played with her own personal guitar hero Jeff Beck and pioneering electric guitarist and designer Les Paul, but Sunday's Strathpeffer show will be a solo affair with Batten playing her worldbeat and electronica influenced music along to a synchronised visual display - her alternative to the trauma of putting a band together.

The mix of sound and vision, she adds, is drawing a wider audience than past tours.

"I'm known as a guitar player, so I usually get the guitar geeks coming along," she laughed.

Now one of the most respected guitarists of her generation, it seems Batten has sibling rivalry to thank for her career.

"My sister got a guitar and I definitely wanted that, so my dad got me an electric guitar which was really, really cool," she revealed. "I started lessons right away and took lessons over the years from lots of different people and got a pretty well-rounded background and eventually went to the Musician's Institute in Hollywood. That was a really intense education that kick started me into high gear and I've been doing it professionally ever since."

As a lead guitarist, Batten stands out as a woman in a predominantly male field, a situation she hopes will soon change.

"I didn't realise it was an odd thing until I went to guitar school and I was the only woman among 60 guys," she said.

"The advantage is that it's easier for people to remember me, but there still is prejudice out there. There's been such a macho image about being a guitar star and rock star for so many years that it takes a while for people to be open to it.

Jennifer Batten has played with Michael Jackson and Jeff Beck.

"Back when I joined the Michael Jackson band I thought that in 10 years it would be completely different and in 10 years there would be lots of women out there, but I think now is the time. I run into women all the time who are great players."

Playing guitar as part of the Michael Jackson touring band, Batten revealed, was almost like a paid vacation.

"It was incredible because he had reached a point in his career where he didn't have to gig every day, so we'd only play two or three days as a band and have plenty of time to go and see the Colesseum in Rome or even shut down the Tokyo Disneyland to keep out the riff-raff! We were very, very spoilt."

Jackson himself was inspiring and a joy to work with, Batten added.

"He was a creative tornado," she said. "He was known as a perfectionist, but that did not carry over into any negativity. He was always very kind to us, very even tempered and it was inspiring to watch him and listen to his opinions about making improvements to the show. I learned a lot from it. It was really cool thing I was able to do."

From playing with the world's top pop star, Batten then joined the man she rates as the number one guitarist in the world, Jeff Beck, but will not be drawn on which she found the biggest thrill.

"It's like comparing apples and oranges - the biggest pop star in the world and the most respected guitarist," she said.

"It was different in every possible way. I went from playing with 100 people in the entourage with Michael to just 12 people with Jeff Beck, which is more like a family. It was more satisfying musically to work with Jeff because that's closer to what I do with my music, but being part of the production with Michael was a whole other kind of thrill. In both jobs I was there to support, but with Jeff I had a lot more responsibility on my shoulders because I played all the harmonies.

"I tracked him down when I was on the Michael Jackson 'Dangerous' tour because I just wanted to meet him and get his autograph. I'd just finished my first album and I gave him a copy, not expecting to ever hear from him again, and a couple of months later he called me back and said: 'I finally had a chance to listen to your CD - let's do one together.' That was a big shock.

"I ended up doing two albums with him and going on tour for three years. Very intense - and damaging on the ears. That was a loud band! That's another reason why I like doing my own show because I have the ultimate volume control."

* Jennifer Batten plays the Strathpeffer Pavilion at 8pm on Sunday.

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