The Bay City Rollers are a Scottish

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...

band known for their worldwide

teen idol A teen idol is a celebrity with a large teenage fan base. Teen idols are generally young but are not necessarily teenagers. An idol's popularity may be limited to teens, or may extend to all age groups. By region Asia East Asia possess ...

popularity in the 1970s. They have been called the "

tartan Tartan ( gd, breacan ) is a patterned cloth consisting of criss-crossed, horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours. Tartans originated in woven wool, but now they are made in other materials. Tartan is particularly associated with Sc ...

teen sensations from Edinburgh" and one of many acts heralded as the "biggest group since

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

. The group's line up had many changes over the years, but the classic roster during its peak in popularity included guitarists

Eric Faulkner Eric Faulkner (born 21 October 1953 as Eric Falconer) is a guitarist, songwriter and singer, best known as a member of the Scottish pop band, the Bay City Rollers. Faulkner was born at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh, Scotland. As a ...

and Stuart Wood, singer

Les McKeown Leslie Richard McKeown (12 November 195520 April 2021) was a Scottish pop singer. He was the lead singer of the Bay City Rollers during their most successful period in the 1970s. Early life McKeown was born in Broomhouse, a suburb close to the ...

, bassist

Alan Longmuir Alan Longmuir (20 June 1948 – 2 July 2018) was a Scottish musician and a founding member of the 1970s pop group, the Bay City Rollers. He played the bass guitar in the band whilst his younger brother Derek Longmuir was drummer. Biograp ...

, and drummer

Derek Longmuir Derek Longmuir (born 19 March 1951, Edinburgh, Scotland) is a Scottish former drummer and a founding member of the 1970s pop group, Bay City Rollers. His elder brother, Alan Longmuir, played bass guitar in the group. Biography Longmuir was bo ...

. The current line-up (since 2018) includes original guitarist Stuart "Woody" Wood, singer Ian Thomson, bassist Marcus Cordock, and drummer Jamie McGrory. The Bay City Rollers have sold 120 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling artists of all time.

History

Early days and formation: 1964–1973

In 1964, a trio called the Ambassadors was formed in Edinburgh, Scotland by 16-year-old

on acoustic guitar, his younger brother

on drums, and their older cousin Neil Porteous on acoustic guitar. The group never performed publicly under this name, just a family wedding where they covered "

Wake Up Little Susie "Wake Up Little Susie" is a popular song written by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant and published in 1957. The song is best known in a recording by the Everly Brothers, issued by Cadence Records as catalog number 1337. The Everly Brothers record r ...

". They changed their name to the Saxons, and Derek invited a friend from school, Gordon "Nobby" Clark, to be the lead singer. Porteous moved from acoustic to electric guitar, and Alan Longmuir followed suit by changing to electric bass.Coy, W. (2005), ''Bay City Babylon: The Unbelievable But True Story of the Bay City Rollers'', pp 12–13. Hats Off Books, The Saxons played occasional dance hall concerts while the band members completed their schooling or worked during the day (Alan apprenticed as a plumber). Porteous left the band in July 1965, with new guitarist Dave Pettigrew filling the spot after answering an advertisement placed by the band in an Edinburgh newspaper. Pettigrew was more advanced musically than the others, and pushed the band to improve. Their repertoire included American R&B/pop songs such as "

Please Mr. Postman "Please Mr. Postman" is a song written by Georgia Dobbins, William Garrett, Freddie Gorman, Brian Holland and Robert Bateman. It is the debut single by the Marvelettes for the Tamla (Motown) label, notable as the first Motown song to reach the ...

" and "

Heat Wave A heat wave, or heatwave, is a period of excessively hot weather, which may be accompanied by high humidity, especially in oceanic climate countries. While definitions vary, a heat wave is usually measured relative to the usual climate in the ...

". They played at least one gig at the Gonk Club as the Deadbeats, but they discovered a conflict: Another band was playing locally as Rock Bottom and the Deadbeats. While taking a technical class at Napier College, Alan met fellow plumbing student Gregory Ellison, who joined the Saxons on electric guitar, with Pettigrew shifting to keyboards. Gregory's older brother Mike joined as a second lead singer, allowing more complex harmonies, especially useful for the Motown songs they liked to perform. The band convinced

Tam Paton Thomas Dougal "Tam" Paton (5 August 1938 – 8 April 2009) was a pop group manager, most notably of the Scottish boy band the Bay City Rollers. Biography Born in Prestonpans, Scotland, he was the son of a potato merchant. Paton initially drove ...

, a former

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s an ...

leader and influential local band and club manager, to audition them at the Longmuirs' house. Paton booked them for a Thursday night at his club, the Palais, then assigned them to open for the Hipple People at Top Storey. More gigs followed. More successful now, the Saxons moved out of the Longmuirs' back room to practise in Hermiston at a church. They played a couple of contemporary

Kinks The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, north London, in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhythm ...

numbers but favoured American songs, including a new one: "

C.C. Rider "See See Rider", also known as "C.C. Rider", "See See Rider Blues" or "Easy Rider", is a popular American 12-bar blues song that became a standard in several genres. Ma Rainey, Gertrude "Ma" Rainey was the first to record it on October 16, 192 ...

" by

Mitch Ryder Mitch Ryder (born William Sherille Levise, Jr.; February 26, 1945) is an American musician who has recorded more than 25 albums over more than four decades. Career Ryder formed his first band, Tempest, when he was at Warren High School, and th ...

and the Detroit Wheels. Desiring a better name for the band, they settled on "Rollers", but needed a more powerful American-sounding term in front of that. Derek Longmuir threw a dart at a map of the United States, landing first on Arkansas. This did not meet anyone's approval, so a second dart was thrown. It landed near Bay City, Michigan. The band agreed on the name, the Bay City Rollers. Short-term members from this period included bassist

David Paton David Paton (; born 29 October 1949) is a Scottish bassist, guitarist and singer. He first achieved success in the mid-1970s as lead vocalist and bassist of Pilot, who scored hits with "Magic", "January", "Just a Smile" and "Call Me Round" bef ...

(from 1969 to 1970) and keyboardist

Billy Lyall William Lyall (26 March 1953 – 1 December 1989) was a Scottish musician, known for his work with Pilot, The Alan Parsons Project, and the Bay City Rollers. Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Lyall was a singer, keyboard player and flautist with Pi ...

(1969–71), who went on to be founding members of another Edinburgh band

Pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...

. After signing with

Bell Records Bell Records was an American record label founded in 1952 in New York City by Arthur Shimkin, the owner of the children's record label Golden Records, and initially a unit of Pocket Books, after the rights to the name were acquired from Benny ...

, the band's first hit was " Keep on Dancing" (UK No. 9, 1971), a cover of a 1965 hit by

the Gentrys The Gentrys were an American band of the 1960s and early 1970s, best known for their 1965 hit " Keep on Dancing". A cover by the Bay City Rollers charted No. 9 in the UK in 1971. Follow-up singles charted outside of the Top 40: " Every Day I ...

. Upon this release's success, they made appearances on

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...

's ''

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British Record chart, music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show ...

''. Several non-charting singles were released over the following two years. This period saw the addition of long-term member guitarist

. In mid-1973, they narrowly missed the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

with their fourth single, " Saturday Night". By the end of 1973, Clark had become disillusioned with the band's musical direction and decided to leave just when his recording of "

Remember (Sha-La-La-La) "Remember (Sha-La-La-La)" is a song by the Bay City Rollers. It was first released as a single in early 1974 and then included on their debut album '' Rollin, which appeared several months later, in the autumn. The single peaked at no. 6 on t ...

" climbed the charts to No. 6. He was replaced as lead singer by

. A couple of months later, in early 1974, what became known as the classic line-up was completed; guitarist John Devine was replaced by Stuart "Woody" Wood.

Breakthrough: 1974–1975

In late 1973, McKeown recorded lead vocals on "

", and a lead-in to a series of UK chart hits. 16-year-old Stuart Wood completed the "classic five" line-up in February 1974, a week after the band had debuted the "Remember" single on ''

.'' (John Devine had mimed the piano part). By early 1975, the band was well on the way to achieving global success. The "classic five" line-up consisted of: Alan Longmuir, Derek Longmuir, Stuart "Woody" Wood, Eric Faulkner and Les McKeown. Beginning with "

Remember Remember may refer to: Film and television * ''Remember?'', a 1939 film starring Robert Taylor and Greer Garson * ''Remember'' (1926 film), an American silent drama film * ''Remember'' (2015 film), a Canadian film by Atom Egoyan, starring Chris ...

" (UK No. 6), the Rollers' popularity exploded, and they released a string of hits on the UK chart. Following in succession were " Shang-a-Lang" (UK No. 2), "

Summerlove Sensation "Summerlove Sensation" is a song originally recorded by the Bay City Rollers. It was part of their 1974 album '' Rollin. In the same year it was also released as a single. The single peaked at no. 3 on the UK Singles Chart. Charts Sylvie ...

" (UK No. 3), and "All of Me Loves All of You" (UK No. 4). By early 1975, they were one of the biggest-selling acts in the UK. The successful 1975 UK tour prompted newspaper headlines about the rise of "Rollermania" (a take-off on

Beatlemania Beatlemania was the fanaticism surrounding the English rock band the Beatles in the 1960s. The group's popularity grew in the United Kingdom throughout 1963, propelled by the singles "Please Please Me", "From Me to You" and "She Loves You". By ...

a decade before). The Rollers were the subject of a 20-week UK television series, '' Shang-a-Lang''. A cover of the Four Seasons' " Bye, Bye, Baby" stayed at No. 1 in the UK for six weeks in March and April 1975, selling nearly a million copies and becoming the biggest seller of the year. The subsequent single, " Give a Little Love" topped the charts in July 1975, achieving their second No. 1 hit. Two full-length LPs were produced during this period: ''

Once Upon a Star : Once Upon a Star is the second studio album by the Bay City Rollers. Released in May 1975, the album features the UK number-one hit single, " Bye Bye Baby". Originally issued as a non-album single in 1971, " Keep on Dancing" was included a ...

'' (1975) and ''

Wouldn't You Like It? ''Wouldn't You Like It?'' is the third studio album by the Scottish pop rock group Bay City Rollers. The LP, issued in the UK in late 1975, saw a marked change in the group's musical direction: all the songs save one were the band's own com ...

'' (1975). Faulkner and Wood undertook the majority of the songwriting duties. By this time, Bay City Rollers fans had a completely distinctive style of dress, featuring calf-length

trousers and tartan

scarves A scarf, plural ''scarves'', is a piece of fabric worn around the neck or head for warmth, sun protection, cleanliness, fashion, religious reasons, or used to show the support for a sports club or team. They can be made in a variety of differ ...

. English singer-songwriter

Nick Lowe Nicholas Drain Lowe (born 24 March 1949) is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer. A noted figure in power pop and new wave,) paean to the band titled "Bay City Rollers We Love You". The track was "carefully sculpted" to be poor enough to get Lowe out of a recording contract with United Artists. The strategy backfired. UA issued the record as by the Tartan Horde, which was the name given to Rollers fans in England, and it became a substantial hit in Japan. Lowe was obliged to record a follow-up song called "Rollers Show", which did not meet with the same commercial success. This follow-up song was included on the U.S. release of Lowe's first album ''

Pure Pop for Now People ''Jesus of Cool'' is the solo debut album by British singer-songwriter Nick Lowe. Produced by Lowe, it was released in March 1978 by Radar Records in the UK. In the United States, the album was reconfigured by Columbia Records and retitled ''P ...

''.

World impact: 1976

As the group's popularity swelled to superstardom in the UK, a concerted effort was made by

Arista Records Arista Records () is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously handled by BMG Entertainmen ...

(the record company that evolved from Bell) to launch the Rollers in North America. New Arista head,

Clive Davis Clive Jay Davis (born April 4, 1932) is an American record producer, A&R executive, record executive, and lawyer. He has won five Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a non-performer, in 2000. From 1967 to 1 ...

, was instrumental in grooming and overseeing the project. His work paid off, as in late 1975, the Rollers reached No. 1 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 with " Saturday Night". "Saturday Night" had missed the UK chart completely two years earlier. The Rollers gave the track their American debut, via a satellite-link performance on '' Saturday Night Live, with Howard Cosell''. In Canada, it fared equally well, hitting No. 1 on the ''

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimensionl ...

'' national singles chart on 10 January 1976. The ''

Bay City Rollers The Bay City Rollers are a Scottish pop rock band known for their worldwide teen idol popularity in the 1970s. They have been called the "tartan teen sensations from Edinburgh" and one of many acts heralded as the "biggest group since the Beat ...

'' (1975) album (North American release only) hit No. 1 in the same chart on 7 February. A second North American hit came with "Money Honey", written by Faulkner and Wood, which hit No. 9 in the US. In Canada, it fared better, following its predecessor to the top, giving them their second No. 1 in the ''RPM'' national singles chart on 13 March 1976. The North America/Japan release album ''

Rock n' Roll Love Letter ''Rock N'Roll Love Letter'' is an album by the Bay City Rollers. It was a North America-only release, issued in early 1976 by Arista Records, catalogue #4071. Of the record's 11 tracks, two were lifted from the Rollers' 1975's UK release ''O ...

'' (1976) jumped from No. 25, to the top position in a single week in Canada. This deposed their own ''

'' (1975) at No. 1 on the national chart, on 27 March 1976, However, it only managed to achieve the No. 31 spot on the U.S. ''Billboard'' chart. They were also extremely popular in Australia. One example of their popularity, was put into the book about ''

Countdown A countdown is a sequence of backward counting to indicate the time remaining before an event is scheduled to occur. NASA commonly employs the terms "L-minus" and "T-minus" during the preparation for and anticipation of a rocket launch, and eve ...

'' – the Australian TV music show which ran from 1974–1987. Their ''Countdown'' appearance in October 1976 coincided with a

total eclipse An eclipse is an astronomical event that occurs when an astronomical object or spacecraft is temporarily obscured, by passing into the shadow of another body or by having another body pass between it and the viewer. This alignment of three cel ...

of the sun. Director

Ted Emery Ted Emery is an Australian film and television director and producer. Ted Emery served in the Royal Australian Navy during the Vietnam War. After returning to Australia, he joined the ABC in Melbourne, Australia, and in time became a director and ...

recalled: Alan Longmuir had left the group by early 1976, due to both the pressures of the band's success and feeling discomfort at being a member of a teen band whilst in his late twenties. He was replaced for seven months by 17-year-old Ian Mitchell from Northern Ireland; he was the first band member born outside Edinburgh. With Mitchell, the group released an album titled ''

Dedication Dedication is the act of consecrating an altar, temple, church, or other sacred building. Feast of Dedication The Feast of Dedication, today Hanukkah, once also called "Feast of the Maccabees," is a Jewish festival observed for eight days fr ...

'' (1976), and hit the charts with a cover version of the

Dusty Springfield Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien (16 April 1939 – 2 March 1999), known professionally as Dusty Springfield, was an English singer. With her distinctive mezzo-soprano sound, she was a popular singer of blue-eyed soul, Pop music, p ...

song "

I Only Want to Be with You "I Only Want to Be with You" is a song written by Mike Hawker and Ivor Raymonde. The debut solo single released by British singer Dusty Springfield under her long-time producer Johnny Franz, "I Only Want to Be with You" peaked at number 4 on th ...

. " The song reached US No. 12, as well as "Yesterday's Hero" (featuring live material from a 1976 personal appearance in Toronto's

Nathan Phillips Square Nathan Phillips Square is an urban plaza in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It forms the forecourt to Toronto City Hall, or ''New City Hall'', at the intersection of Queen Street West and Bay Street, and is named for Nathan Phillips, mayor of Toro ...

), and "Dedication".

1977–1979

As the Rollers' popularity waned, the shuffling of personnel continued; Mitchell quit the band. He was replaced by guitarist

Pat McGlynn Patrick James "Pat" McGlynn (born 31 March 1958 in Edinburgh, Scotland) is a former rhythm guitarist for the Bay City Rollers. In late 1976, McGlynn briefly joined the Rollers as a replacement for band member Ian Mitchell. McGlynn usually play ...

. Further struggles involved the direction of their sound, as the members wished to pursue more sophisticated styles. They settled on

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

's producer,

Harry Maslin Harry Maslin is an American record producer, recording/mixing engineer, and studio owner/designer. In the mid-1970s, he engineered No. 1 hits for Barry Manilow ("Mandy"), and Dionne Warwick & The Spinners (" Then Came You"). As a producer, his ch ...

, and in August 1977 released '' It's a Game'' as a four-piece group, comprising McKeown, Wood, Faulkner and Derek Longmuir. The ''It's a Game'' tour was recorded in 1977 at Japan's

Budokan Hall The , often shortened to simply Budokan, is an indoor arena located in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It was originally built for the inaugural Olympic judo competition in the 1964 Summer Olympics. While its primary purpose is to host martial arts con ...

, and was later released in 2001 as ''Rollerworld: Live at the Budokan 1977''. On the tour, they covered "It's a Game", an unsuccessful 1973 single by

String Driven Thing String Driven Thing are a Scottish folk rock band, formed in Glasgow in 1967 and led by married couple Chris and Pauline Adams, with the electric violin of Graham Smith. History Formation String Driven Thing formed in Glasgow in 1967 as a three ...

, to give them their final UK Top 20 hit (#16 in May 1977). Oddly enough, this single provided them with their highest-charting German hit, reaching No. 4 in the same year. The follow-up "

You Made Me Believe in Magic "You Made Me Believe in Magic" is the title of a 1977 international hit single by the Bay City Rollers, taken from their album '' It's a Game''. The recording, a mid-tempo disco-styled pop tune featuring strings and horns, had its greatest impac ...

" madeNo. 34 in July in the UK and No. 10 in the U.S., and this single was their final major success. The Bay City Rollers were on ''

The Krofft Superstar Hour ''The Krofft Superstar Hour'' is a Saturday morning children's variety show, produced by Sid and Marty Krofft. After eight episodes, the show was renamed ''The Bay City Rollers Show.'' It aired for one season from September 9, 1978 to January 27, ...

'', later named the ''Bay City Rollers Show'', an hour-long show that aired from September 9, 1978 to January 27, 1979.

New singer, new name

At the end of 1978, the band had split with McKeown, then fired manager Tam Paton shortly after, and decided to continue in a more new wave, rock-oriented sound. Their name was now The Rollers. South African-born

Duncan Faure Rabbitt were a South African rock band formed in 1972, evolving from a band called The Conglomeration, consisting of members Trevor Rabin, Duncan Faure, Ronnie Robot, and Neil Cloud. Their successes included making it to the top of the South A ...

joined the band as new lead vocalist, guitarist and songwriter. With Faure, the line-up produced three albums: ''Elevator'' (1979), ''Voxx'' (1980) and ''Ricochet'' (1981). Following the expiry of the band's Arista contract, none of the releases sold as well as expected, and they stopped touring by late 1981. ''The A.V. Club'' compared ''Ricochet'' to the pop/new wave style of

The Cars The Cars were an American rock band formed in Boston in 1976. Emerging from the new wave scene in the late 1970s, they consisted of Ric Ocasek ( rhythm guitar), Benjamin Orr (bass guitar), Elliot Easton (lead guitar), Greg Hawkes (keyboards), ...

and recommended the album be "rescued from obscurity".

1980s–present

During the 1980s and 1990s, there were a few short tours. Seven past members played Japan in 1982, and again in 1983. A reunion album, ''Breakout'', was released in Japan and Australia in 1985, and added drummer George Spencer. ''Breakout'' was written primarily by McKeown and McGlynn with minor contributions from Faulkner, Wood, and Mitchell. In the late 1980s, a version of the band called the New Rollers was formed featuring Faulkner on lead vocals, Karen Prosser on vocals, Jason Medvec on guitar, Andy Boakes on bass, and Mark Roberts on drums. The band toured extensively throughout the US and Canada as well as tours of the UK and Australia. This group also released an independent four-song EP titled ''Party Harty''. In 1990, Wood and Alan Longmuir joined with Faulkner to tour under the Bay City Rollers name and issued several CDs of re-recordings of the old Roller tunes. In 1996, the classic line-up reunited and performed "Saturday Night" on a Japanese television show to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Rollermania. The classic line-up (minus Derek Longmuir) performed a one-off New Year's Eve millennium concert, the last official Bay City Rollers concert (1999–2000) in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle in Scotland. Interest was rekindled in the UK by various television documentaries about the group; and the television-advertised compilation ''Very Best of the Bay City Rollers'' entered the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...

on release in 2004 at No. 11. During the late 2000's, Ian Mitchell led his own Bay City Rollers band, which included lead vocalist

Kyle Vincent Kyle Vincent is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and entertainer, labeled as the "crown prince of soft pop," by '' Goldmine.'' Barry Manilow has called him, "One of the best singer-songwriters to come along since the heyday ...

, but this should not be considered an official Bay City Rollers reunion because Mitchell was the only ex-Roller involved. On 22 September 2015, the Bay City Rollers, including McKeown, Wood, and Alan Longmuir, announced they were reforming and would play a show at the Glasgow Barrowlands on 20 December. Eric Faulkner was unable to contribute because of health concerns, almost dying in February 2015 after contracting viral encephalitis. The band released one new single, "Boomerang", and discussed plans for a new album. The reunion continued into 2016 before Wood ended the reunited line-up on 9 July 2016 because no shows were being booked for the so-called reunion. After the 2015 Christmas shows Les was booking shows only for himself and his band during 2016 (Except T In The Park) which caused the reunion to end. Plans for a new album and various tours that were hoped to take place in 2017 never materialised. Prior to the reunion and after the end of the tour, McKeown continued to tour as "Les McKeown's Bay City Rollers". On 27 February 2018, Wood announced that the new Bay City Rollers would be performing in Tokyo, Japan in June of the same year. The band comprises Wood on guitar, Ian Thomson on lead vocals and guitar, Marcus Cordock on bass, and Jamie McGrory on drums. Bassist Alan Longmuir died on 2 July 2018 after falling ill while on holiday with his wife in Mexico. His autobiography ''I Ran with the Gang: My Life in and Out of The Bay City Rollers'' was published posthumously in November 2018; the book was written with Martin Knight. In his book, Alan Longmuir mentioned his hope for McKeown and Wood to put aside their differences and reunite one more time. In 2019, after rumors related to Alan Longmuir's wishes, both McKeown and Wood denied any chance of another reunion and did not want to work with each other, though McKeown did mention his desire to work with Faulkner. After both McKeown's and Wood's bands were sidelined by the coronavirus pandemic, McKeown mentioned in August 2020 that he would be willing to reunite with Wood again with more planning. On 1 September 2020, Ian Mitchell died at the age of 62 after suffering from throat cancer. On 20 April 2021, Les McKeown died aged 65.

Financial disputes

According to the BBC, the Bay City Rollers sold 120 million records. In March 2007, six former members of the group (Faure plus the "classic line-up") announced a lawsuit against

in hopes of claiming what they described as "tens of millions of dollars" of unpaid royalties. Gordon "Nobby" Clark threatened to sue the other band members if their lawsuit was successful, stating that he was the creative force behind the band's success, even though he left the group in 1973, before the bulk of their fame and fortune began. In September 2010, Clark, Ian Mitchell and Pat McGlynn filed a complaint in the courts in the United States against the six members (Faure plus the "classic line-up") over being excluded from the case against Arista records. Clark, Mitchell and McGlynn were seeking to have their rights determined and were seeking financial damages against the other Bay City Rollers for alleged breach of contract. In 2013, a judge in the United States Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against the three due to the statute of frauds, which establishes that certain agreements must be in writing under certain conditions, and the appellate judge's ruling stated: "A claim for unjust enrichment must be based on the value of plaintiffs' contribution to the joint effort of the band at the time it made the relevant records, not on the income stream resulting from a revival over thirty years later." In March 2011, a New York judge determined that the Bay City Rollers could move forward with their four-year-old lawsuit against Arista Records. Arista denied responsibility for the majority of the royalties, citing a New York statute of limitations. The statute limits plaintiffs from recovering damages post six years in contract disputes, which therefore would negate the Rollers' claims for royalties incurred before 2001. However, because Arista had continued to promise the Bay City Rollers their royalties in writing, the judge ruled that the statute was not applicable. After almost a decade, the legal battle came to an end with an out-of-court settlement in 2016. Arista Records' parent company

Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainment ...

is believed to have paid $3.5 million, with each band member receiving £70,000.

Members

Current members * Stuart "Woody" Wood – backing and occasional lead vocals, rhythm and lead guitars, keyboards, bass, mandolin (1974–1981, 1982–1985, 1990, 1996, 1999–2000, 2015–2016, 2018-present) * Ian Thomson – lead vocals, guitar (2018–present) * Marcus Cordock – bass, vocals (2018–present) * Jamie McGrory – drums (2018–present) Former members *

– backing and occasional lead vocals, bass, rhythm guitar, piano, accordion (1964–1976, 1978–1981, 1982–1983, 1990, 1996, 1999–2000, 2015–2016; died 2018) *

– drums, percussion (1964–1981, 1982–1983, 1996) * Neil Porteous – guitar (1964–1965) * Gordon "Nobby" Clark – lead vocals (1965–1973) * Dave Pettigrew – guitar, keyboards (1965–1968) * Gregory Ellison – guitar (1966–1968) * Mike Ellison – vocals (1966) * Keith Norman - keyboards (1967-1969) *

– guitar (1968–1970) * Alan Dunn - keyboards (1969) *

– keyboards (1969–1971) * Eric Manclark - guitar (1970-1971) * Neil Henderson - guitar (1970-1972) * Archie Marr - keyboards (1971-1972) * John Devine – guitar (1972–1974) *

– backing and occasional lead vocals, lead and rhythm guitars, violin, mandolin, bass (1972–1981, 1982–1985, 1990, 1996, 1999–2000) *

– lead vocals, occasional guitar (1973–1978, 1982–1985, 1996, 1999–2000, 2015–2016; died 2021) * Ian Mitchell – backing and occasional lead vocals, rhythm guitar, bass (1976, 1982–1985; died 2020) *

– rhythm guitar, bass (1976–1977, 1982–1985) * Duncan Faure – vocals, guitar (1978–1981) * George Spencer – drums (1985) In later years, but before McKeown's death, there were usually at least two or three bands featuring one former BCR member touring as The Bay City Rollers or some variation of the name. These were most recently held by Wood and McKeown (before McKeown's death), and Wood's most recent band is still active and currently the only group touring as the Bay City Rollers.

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums * '' Rollin''' (1974) * ''

'' (1975) * ''

'' (1976) * ''

'' (1976) * '' It's a Game'' (1977) * ''

Strangers in the Wind ''Strangers in the Wind'' is a 1978 rock album by the Bay City Rollers. It was the group's sixth original studio album, and second consecutive disc to feature the production work of Harry Maslin, who produced hits for Air Supply. Early 1978 ha ...

'' (1978) * ''

Elevator An elevator or lift is a wire rope, cable-assisted, hydraulic cylinder-assisted, or roller-track assisted machine that vertically transports people or freight between floors, levels, or deck (building), decks of a building, watercraft, ...

'' (1979) * '' Voxx'' (1980) * ''

Ricochet A ricochet ( ; ) is a rebound, bounce, or skip off a surface, particularly in the case of a projectile. Most ricochets are caused by accident and while the force of the deflection decelerates the projectile, it can still be energetic and almost ...

'' (1981) * ''Breakout '85'' (1985) * ''A Christmas Shang-A-Lang'' (2015) Christmas Single 2021 * Rollin' Into Christmas

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