Formed:
1967, Edinburgh, Scotland, Disbanded: 1978
The
Bay City Rollers were a Scottish pop/rock band of the '70s with a strong
following among teenage girls. The origins of the group go back to
the formation of the duo the Longmuir Brothers in the late '60s, consisting
of drummer Derek Longmuir (b. Mar. 19, 1952, Edinburgh, Scotland) and his
bass-playing brother Alan (b. June 20, 1953, Edinburgh). They eventually
changed their name to Saxon, adding singer Nobby Clarke and John Devine.
Then they changed their name again by pointing at random to a spot
on a map of the United States: Bay City, Michigan. Their first hit was
a cover of the Gentrys' "Keep on Dancing," which reached number nine in
the U.K. in September 1971. In June 1972, guitarist Eric Faulkner (b. 1954
10 21, Edinburgh) joined. In January 1973, singer Leslie McKeown (b. Nov.
12, 1955, Edinburgh) and guitarist Stuart Wood (b.Feb. 25, 1957, Edinburgh)
replaced Clarke and Devine, stabilizing the quintet's lineup.
After
flopping with three singles, they finally hit the Top Ten again in February
1974 with a cover of the Shangri-Las' "Remember (Walking in the Sand)."
At this point, the Rollers became a teen sensation in Great Britain, with
their good looks and tartan knickers, and they scored a series of Top Ten
U.K. hits over the next two and a half years: "Shang-a-Lang," "Summerlove
Sensation," "All of Me Loves All of You," "Bye Bye Baby" (a cover
of the Four Seasons hit that went to number one), "Give a Little Love"
(another number one), "Money Honey," "Love Me Like I Love You," and "I
Only Wanna Be with You" (a cover of the Dusty Springfield hit). Their albums
Rollin', Once Upon a Star, Wouldn't You Like It, and Dedication were also
Top Ten successes, with Rollin' and Once Upon a Star getting to number
one. They scored their first U.S. hit with "Saturday Night," which was
released in September 1975 and hit number one in January 1976. It was followed
by the Top Ten hits "Money Honey" and "You Made Me Believe in Magic."
The Rollers also had five straight gold albums in the U.S.: Bay City Rollers,
Rock 'n' Roll Love Letter, Dedication, It's a Game, and Greatest Hits.
Alan
Longmuir left the band in June 1976 and was replaced by Ian Mitchell (b.
Aug. 22, 1958, Downpatrick, County Down, Northern Ireland) who was in turn
replaced by Pat McGlynn (b. Mar. 31, 1958, Edinburgh) in June 1977. Longmuir
returned in 1978, the same year that McKeown was replaced by Duncan Faure
and Faulkner quit to go solo. But by then the Bay City Rollers had scored
their last hits.
~
William Ruhlmann, All-Music Guide... |
