Ian Mitchell came to national recognition at 17 years of age when he became the guitarist for the Bay City Rollers. After leaving the Rollers, Ian toured successfully abroad with his bands, Rosetta Stone and The Ian Mitchell Band. A strong interest in the Bay City Rollers continues even today. Recent media spotlights, including two VH-1 specials, has brought interest in the band to the forefront. Fan events take place each year across the world. Rollermania continues!
Throughout his career, Ian Mitchell has brought joy and happiness to untold millions. His musical and show business achievements are astounding. Recently named by Rolling Stone Magazine as one of Ireland's most famous musicians, Ian was thrust into stardom at the age of 17 as a vocalist and guitarist of the 1970's musical phenomenon known as the BAY CITY ROLLERS. Nothing like the Rollers had emerged since the Beatles, and nothing has emerged like them since. The level of hysteria aroused in their fans was incredible. Worldwide, Bay City Rollers concerts routinely became riots. According to England's New Musica1 Express, the Rollers were a "cult of vast proportions." One in four youths was a Bay City Rollers fan and they sold records by the millions. The Bay City Rollers are still one of Arista Records biggest selling artists, with 13 gold singles to their credit.
In 1975, Arista president Clive Davis used his intuition and selected an album cut he thought would sell in America. The Rollers and Arista were aided with top-notch promotion. The quintet appeared live on the premier of ABC-TV's "Saturday Night Live With Howard Cosell." Davis' intuition was correct. The album cut, "Saturday Night," was their first U.S. chart topper. More hits followed: "I Only Want To Be With You," "Rock n' Roll Love Letter," "The Way I Feel Tonight," "Money Honey," and "You Made Me Believe In Magic" were all Top 40 smashes.
The Bay City Rollers soon had die hard tartan-clad devotees in the U.S. just like they did in the rest of the world. They performed on all the major television programs of the day, and were even hosts of their own NBC-TV series. The Rollers appeared on the cover of 16 Magazine more times than any other artist or celebrity. British rocker Nick Lowe wrote and recorded a catchy tune called "Rollers Show," which expressed the happiness in anticipation of a Bay City Rollers concert. Maddening Rollermania became the rule wherever the band appeared. Teenage girls routinely screamed until they fainted at Rollers' concerts.
When Ian's career with the Bay City Rollers concluded, he followed it by performing with a short lived band called ROSETTA STONE that would gain notoriety in Canada, Europe and the Far East, eventually accumulating two gold disks and his own variety show with the BBC-London. Additionally, THE IAN MITCHELL BAND had Japan and UK success in the 1980's before its demise. Ian then continued performing Bay City Rollers hits throughout the world at concerts, nightclubs, casinos, fairs and festivals, including a reunion tour with the Rollers in 1985 in Europe and the Far East.
Ian continues to make new fans with his non-stop combination of hits both new and old, featuring some of the most powerful back-up bands on the road, but has consistently kept a worldwide following of original Bay City Roller fans, and still receives fan mail daily. The success of the Rollers proved that Rollermania is still alive and well. The Ian Mitchell Message Board is one of the most popular boards on Voy.com and numerous Roller sites exist on the Internet. The Hasbro Board game, "Trivial Pursuit" includes a Bay City Roller quiz question, Comedian Craig Ferguson chose to use a BCR doll as a prop throughout the comedy "The Big Tease", Mike Myers lauded the band in his movie "So, I Married an Ax Murderer", the hit sitcom "That 70's Show" often uses images as well as recordings of the BCR, VH1 covered an episode of "Where Are They Now" that featured Ian, and he was even mentioned by name in a episode of the NBC hit sitcom"Friends." Recently, the Campbell's Soup Company utilized the Bay City Rollers version of "I Only Wanna Be With You" for a V8 Juice commercial released world-wide.
Ian has also taken his music on the road as a Motivational/Inspirational Speaker. He has spoken at some of the worlds top corporations as well as volunteered his message to several non profit organizations. Moving into the millennium, Ian's ambition is to provide the world with excitement as he performs the pop hits of the Bay City Rollers as well as other 70's artists. He wants to make every night, a SATURDAY NIGHT.
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