The Bay City Rollers are still one of Arista Records' biggest selling artists worldwide,
with sales totaling over 300 million records. The Bay City Rollers racked up five
consecutive gold or platinum albums in the U.S.; their singles blanketed the Billboard
charts for over 100 total weeks in the mid to late 70s. Their Top 40 hits include the
#1 smash "Saturday Night", "Money Honey", "I Only Want To Be With You", "You Made Me
Believe In Magic" and "The Way I Feel Tonight," all of which spent 15 weeks or more on
the Billboard charts.
Founded in Edinburgh, Scotland as The Saxons, the group soon changed their name to the Bay
City Rollers and in 1974 stormed the UK charts with 4 Top Ten hits, all from the Rollers'
second LP Rollin’. Their success prompted a riotous response from fans. A British TV show
soon followed, and the group's popularity continued to climb -- a scenario that soon repeated
itself in countries throughout the globe. Dubbed “Rollermania” by the press, the mass hysteria
that followed had not been witnessed since the days of the Beatles. By 1976, the Bay City Rollers
were constantly gracing the covers of music and teen magazines alike.
The Bay City Rollers’ first two albums --the aforementioned Rollin' and the follow up Once Upon A Star --
stayed on the album charts for a total of 99 weeks from 1974-1976. "Bye Bye Baby", the Rollers’ first
number one, was the UK's biggest selling single of 1975. Their tremendous success and dynamic live
performances convinced Arista Records President and music legend Clive Davis to bring the group to North
America. Making their American television debut in the fall of 1975 on Howard Cosell's "Saturday Night Live",
the Rollers found a following that would resonate with screams through arenas around the world for the next
three years. Rollermania had reached North America. In 1976 they consistently hit the U.S. top ten charts
with songs such as "Money Honey", "Rock and Roll Love Letter", "I Only Wanna Be With You", "You Made Me
Believe in Magic" and the #1 smash hit "Saturday Night". Concerts were stopped due to mobbing of the band
members onstage, and their trademark Scottish tartan was everywhere. Mass hysteria followed their every move,
while the screams of a generation of young girls could be heard across the nation and around the world. The
result was five straight gold or platinum albums in the United States, and singles totaling over 100 chart
weeks in the USA, with even greater success in Canada.
Over a period of five years, The Bay City Rollers consistently reached number one not only in Britain but all
over Europe, North America, Japan and Australia. As in Britain, the Rollers were featured in their own TV show
in North America; "The Bay City Rollers Show" ran in 1978 and 1979 on NBC. Current estimated worldwide album sales
are at 120 million records.
In 1979, Les McKeown put together his first solo album, All Washed Up, which carried songwriting production,
performance and artistic credits. Les McKeown’s Ego Trip went on to record five hugely successful studio albums
in Japan. The late 80’s brought more chart success, this time in Germany with an album called It’s A Game, produced
in association with highly respected German songwriter Dieter Bohlen. Soon after came The Tartan Army, a theatrical
project which caught the attention of London club mogul Sean McClusky. In 1991, Les found himself back on the London
stage for the first time in over ten years. Encouraged by the enthusiastic welcome he received, Les then assembled
a new group of highly talented musicians and began touring as Les McKeown’s Legendary Bay City Rollers.
The Bay City Rollers featuring Les McKeown treat audiences to all the old hits, which -- thanks to the media's
fascination with the group-- have remained in the public eye. Coverage has included two VH1 specials, and their
songs continue to be regularly featured in TV shows such as "October Road" and films such as "Love Actually". Les
has also recently released an autobiography, which can now be ordered at Amazon.com.
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