Bay City Rollers facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bay City Rollers
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Bay City Rollers in Holland (1976)
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| Background information | |
| Also known as | The Saxons, The Rollers, The New Rollers |
| Origin | Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Genres | Pop, glam rock, pop rock |
| Years active | 1964–1987, 1990, 1998–2000, 2015–present |
| Labels | Bell, Arista, Epic |
| Associated acts | Pilot |
| Members |
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| Past members |
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The Bay City Rollers are a Scottish pop rock band. They became super popular with teenagers around the world in the 1970s. People called them the "tartan teen sensations from Edinburgh" because they often wore clothes with tartan patterns. They were also seen as one of the biggest groups since the Beatles.
The band's members changed many times over the years. But the most famous lineup during their peak included guitarists Eric Faulkner and Stuart Wood, singer Les McKeown, bassist Alan Longmuir, and drummer Derek Longmuir. Today, the band (since 2018) includes original guitarist Stuart "Woody" Wood, singer Ian Thomson, bassist Marcus Cordock, and drummer Jamie McGrory.
The Bay City Rollers have sold an amazing 120 million records worldwide!
Contents
History of the Bay City Rollers
How the Band Started: 1964–1973
The band began in 1964 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Two brothers, 16-year-old Alan Longmuir and his younger brother Derek Longmuir, started a group with their cousin Neil Porteous. They first called themselves the Ambassadors. They only played once at a family wedding.
They soon changed their name to the Saxons. Derek invited his school friend, Gordon "Nobby" Clark, to be the lead singer. The band members played occasional concerts while still in school or working. Alan Longmuir was even training to be a plumber!
Later, Alan met Gregory Ellison, who joined on electric guitar. Gregory's older brother Mike also joined as a second singer. The band got a local manager named Tam Paton to help them. They started playing more shows.
The Saxons wanted a better name. They decided on "Rollers." To find a word to put in front of it, Derek Longmuir threw a dart at a map of the United States. It landed near Bay City, Michigan. Everyone liked the sound of "Bay City Rollers," so that became their name.
After signing with Bell Records, the band had their first hit song, "Keep on Dancing" in 1971. It reached No. 9 in the UK. This success led to them appearing on the TV show Top of the Pops.
Over the next two years, they released more songs. Guitarist Eric Faulkner joined the band during this time. In 1973, their song "Saturday Night" almost made it onto the UK charts. By the end of 1973, Gordon Clark left the band. Les McKeown became the new lead singer. In early 1974, Stuart "Woody" Wood joined as guitarist, completing the "classic" lineup.
Becoming Superstars: 1974–1975
With Les McKeown as singer, the Bay City Rollers became incredibly popular. Their song "Remember (Sha-La-La-La)" reached No. 6 in the UK. Stuart Wood, who was only 16, joined the band in February 1974. This completed the famous "classic five" lineup.
Their popularity exploded! They had many more hits in the UK, including "Shang-a-Lang" (No. 2), "Summerlove Sensation" (No. 3), and "All of Me Loves All of You" (No. 4).
By early 1975, they were one of the biggest bands in the UK. Their successful tour in 1975 led newspapers to talk about "Rollermania." This was like "Beatlemania" from a decade before. The Rollers even had their own 20-week TV show called Shang-a-Lang.
Their cover of "Bye, Bye, Baby" was No. 1 in the UK for six weeks in 1975. It sold almost a million copies! Their next song, "Give a Little Love," also reached No. 1 in July 1975. They released two albums during this time: Once Upon a Star and Wouldn't You Like It?. Eric Faulkner and Stuart Wood wrote most of the songs.
Fans of the Bay City Rollers had a special style. They wore calf-length tartan trousers and tartan scarves.
A musician named Nick Lowe wrote a song called "Bay City Rollers We Love You." It was released by a band called the Tartan Horde. This song became a big hit in Japan.
Global Success: 1976
As the band became huge in the UK, their record company, Arista Records, worked hard to make them famous in North America. Their song "Saturday Night" reached No. 1 on the US Billboard chart in late 1975. This was interesting because the song hadn't been a hit in the UK two years earlier. The Rollers performed "Saturday Night" on the TV show Saturday Night Live through a satellite link. It also hit No. 1 in Canada.
Another North American hit was "Money Honey," which reached No. 9 in the US and No. 1 in Canada.
The band was also very popular in Australia. There's a famous story about their visit in 1976. It was during a total eclipse of the sun. Thousands of fans were outside the TV studio, waiting to see the band. Even though the sky went dark and the streetlights came on because of the eclipse, the fans didn't even notice! They were too busy waiting for the Rollers.
By early 1976, Alan Longmuir, the bassist, decided to leave the group. He was replaced by 17-year-old Ian Mitchell from Northern Ireland. With Ian, the band released the album Dedication. They also had a hit with their cover of the Dusty Springfield song, "I Only Want to Be with You." This song reached No. 12 in the US.
Changes and New Directions: 1977–1979
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As the band's popularity slowly went down, more members changed. Ian Mitchell left and was replaced by guitarist Pat McGlynn. The band wanted to try new musical styles. They worked with David Bowie's producer, Harry Maslin. In August 1977, they released It's a Game as a four-person group. This lineup included McKeown, Wood, Faulkner, and Derek Longmuir.
The song "It's a Game" became their last UK Top 20 hit, reaching No. 16 in May 1977. It was also their highest-charting song in Germany, reaching No. 4. Their next song, "You Made Me Believe in Magic," reached No. 34 in the UK and No. 10 in the US. This was their last big success in the US.
New Singer, New Name: The Rollers
At the end of 1978, Les McKeown left the band. They also stopped working with their manager Tam Paton. The band decided to change their sound to a more rock-oriented style. They also changed their name to The Rollers.
Duncan Faure from South Africa joined as the new lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter. With Duncan, The Rollers released three albums: Elevator (1979), Voxx (1980), and Ricochet (1981). These albums did not sell as well as their earlier ones, and the band stopped touring by late 1981.
Years later, some music critics praised the album Ricochet. They said it showed the band's musical growth and compared it to the pop/new wave style of The Cars.
Later Years: 1980s–Present
During the 1980s and 1990s, the band had a few short tours. Some past members played in Japan in 1982 and 1983. A reunion album called Breakout was released in Japan and Australia in 1985.
In the late 1980s, a version of the band called the New Rollers toured. This group included Eric Faulkner.
In 1990, Stuart Wood and Alan Longmuir joined Eric Faulkner to tour again as the Bay City Rollers. They released CDs with new recordings of their old songs.
The classic lineup (without Derek Longmuir) played a special New Year's Eve concert in Edinburgh, Scotland, at the end of 1999. This was their last official concert for a while. Interest in the band grew again in the UK. A new collection of their greatest hits, Very Best of the Bay City Rollers, reached No. 11 on the UK Albums Chart in 2004.
On 22 September 2015, the Bay City Rollers, including Les McKeown, Stuart Wood, and Alan Longmuir, announced they were getting back together. They played a show in Glasgow on 20 December.
On 27 February 2018, Stuart Wood announced that a new version of the Bay City Rollers would perform in Tokyo, Japan. This band includes Wood on guitar, Ian Thomson on lead vocals and guitar, Marcus Cordock on bass, and Jamie McGrory on drums.
Sadly, bassist Alan Longmuir passed away on 2 July 2018. He had been on holiday in Mexico. His autobiography, I Ran with the Gang: My Life in and Out of The Bay City Rollers, was published after his death.
On 1 September 2020, Ian Mitchell died at the age of 62. He had been ill with throat cancer.
On 20 April 2021, Les McKeown died at the age of 65.
Bay City Rollers Albums
Studio albums
- Rollin' (1974)
- Once Upon a Star (1975)
- Bay City Rollers (1975)
- Wouldn't You Like It? (1975)
- Rock n' Roll Love Letter (1976)
- Dedication (1976)
- It's a Game (1977)
- Strangers in the Wind (1978)
- Elevator (1979)
- Voxx (1980)
- Ricochet (1981)
- Breakout '85) (1985)
- A Christmas Shang-A-Lang (2015)
Images for kids
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The Bay City Rollers achieved international success during the 1970s.
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Drummer Derek Longmuir in Helsinki, 1978
See also
In Spanish: The Bay City Rollers para niños
