Ian Hunter rocks on

Ian Hunter, who achieved fame as the front man of the British rock and roll band Mott the Hoople in the early 1970s, deserved to celebrate his 80th birthday last week on stage at City Winery, with a few hundred of his devoted pilgrims.

You read that right. Hunter turned 80. To put that bulletin into perspective, Hunter has lived twice as long a life as John Lennon did. But at City Winery, he proved that age is just a number. He barely took a breather for the first hour-and-forty minutes until he yielded the stage to his pal Joe Elliott, of Def Leppard fame.

Hunter was having the time of his life on stage, during a show that capped a three-night stand at one of Manhattan’s most satisfying rock and roll venues. (For better or worse, City Winery will shut down its Soho location in August and reopen early next year at a new base, at Hudson River Park’s Pier 57 on West 15th Street).

Rock and Roll War Horse Hunter had a huge smile on his face all night, underscoring how much he loves to get up on a stage and play his tunes. The audience sure appreciated him right back. There is something heartwarming about witnessing a rock and roll war horse cranking out his hits and having the audience in the palm of his hand. It would not be a surprise to find out that most of the people in attendance were seeing their fourth or fifth or sixth Hunter concert. (For the record, I last saw him play in 1980, when he opened for The Kinks on a college campus in Queens).

Hunter shifted effortlessly between guitar and (my preference) piano and performed the songs that first made him famous, such as “All the Way from Memphis,” a terrific cover of Lou Reed’s classic “Sweet Jane,” “Once Bitten, Twice Shy,” and, of course, his anthem, “All the Young Dudes,” which David Bowie wrote for Mott the Hoople to record way back in the early 1970s.

For all of his accolades and accomplishments, you could make a good case that Hunter deserved a better fate in the history of rock and roll. He and Mott the Hoople were overshadowed by the likes of Bowie, Reed and others during the “glam-rock” phase of the 1970s. Then the unfortunate popularity of disco eclipsed many serious, hard-rocking bands.

In the mid-70s, punk overtook everything in rock and roll, pushing to the side bands like Mott the Hoople. Hunter has persisted, though, recording solo albums and performing gigs throughout the years.

Staying YoungBesides his musical prowess, the quality that has enabled Hunter to push on and maintain his rabid audience has been his puckish sense of humor. Who else would have put out an album entitled “You’re Never Alone with a Schizophrenic,” as Hunter did in 1979 (when he was a mere 40-years-old). When they sang the happy birthday song to him, he quipped that he was really only 29. Hunter owned one of the great, ironic lines of all time when he sang in “All the Way from Memphis,” “You look like a star/But you’re really ... out on paROLE!”).

In fact, “All the Way from Memphis” also explains Hunter’s love of rock and roll and what it means to him — and the rest of us. He sings in the song, “You got to stay young, man.”

Hunter might well have been the oldest person at City Winery that night. But thanks to his enduring songs, stage persona and loyal fans, he’ll never really grow old, either.