Bay City Rollers

Bay City Rollers are a Scottish pop group formed in Edinburgh in 1967. Their sound sits within bubblegum pop, pop, pop rock, power pop, soft rock and teen pop, and they become closely associated with the tartan-trimmed clothing and clean-cut image that help define their public profile in the 1970s. They are one of the best-known Scottish pop acts of that decade and are strongly linked with the period of fan enthusiasm often called “Rollermania”.

Formation and early line-up

The group begins in Edinburgh under the name The Saxons, founded by bassist Alan Longmuir, his younger brother Derek Longmuir on drums, and school friend Gordon “Nobby” Clark on lead vocals. The band later adopts the name Bay City Rollers, a change made in the early years as the members look for a more distinctive title. The line-up changes frequently in the first part of their career, with short-term members including David Paton and Billy Lyall, both of whom later help to found the Edinburgh band Pilot. Other members over the band’s active years include Stuart Wood, Ian Mitchell, Pat McGlynn, Les McKeown and Duncan Faure.

Recording career and chart success

The group’s first major break comes when record executive Dick Leahy notices them in an Edinburgh club. They sign to Bell Records and score an early hit with “Keep on Dancing”, a cover version of a Gentrys song. Another early song, “Mañana”, wins a Radio Luxembourg-sponsored song contest and becomes popular in parts of Europe and in Israel. Their first major run of UK hits begins after Les McKeown replaces Gordon “Nobby” Clark as lead singer. In this period they record a series of successful singles, including “Remember (Sha La La La)”, “Shang-a-Lang”, “Summerlove Sensation” and “All of Me Loves All of You”.

By 1975, the band is one of the biggest-selling acts in Britain. “Bye, Bye, Baby”, a cover of a Four Seasons song, spends six weeks at number one in the UK and becomes the year’s biggest seller. “Give a Little Love” also reaches number one. Their popularity extends to television through the 20-week series Shang-a-Lang.

The band then achieves major success in the United States. “Saturday Night” reaches number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, while “Money Honey” reaches number nine. Alan Longmuir leaves and is replaced for a period by Ian Mitchell, after which the group records Dedication. During this period they also chart in the US with “I Only Want to Be With You”, “Yesterday’s Hero” and “Dedication”.

Later 1970s and change of name

Their commercial momentum declines towards the end of the 1970s, but they still reach the UK Top 20 with “It’s a Game”, which becomes their final UK Top 20 hit. “You Made Me Believe in Magic” becomes their last major US success. In 1978 Alan Longmuir returns for Strangers in the Wind, and the band appears in a US television project that is first called The Krofft Superstar Hour and later The Bay City Rollers Show on NBC. The project does not succeed, and the group’s shift toward a more mature sound does not reverse their decline.

Les McKeown later leaves after an on-stage dispute with Eric Faulkner in Japan, and the band dismisses manager Tam Paton in 1979. South African-born Duncan Faure replaces McKeown as lead singer, and the group shortens its name to The Rollers. They release three albums under that name, including Voxx and Ricochet, before disbanding.

Later activity and legacy

During the 1980s and 1990s, the group name returns in several short-lived revivals involving some original members, including a New Year’s Eve concert in 1999. Interest in the band rises again in Britain through television documentaries and a greatest-hits compilation that enters the UK chart in 2004. Alan Longmuir dies in 2018.