Bay City Rollers

The Bay City Rollers were a Scottish pop band of the 1970s, with a special appeal among teenage girls. For a relatively brief but fervent period known as "Rollermania", they were among the most popular musical artists in the United Kingdom. They would go on to enjoy success in many countries.

The group was discovered in Edinburgh, Scotland by potato merchant's son Tam Paton, who became their sometimes-controversial manager. Originally known as The Saxons, the band members have said they chose their band's name by throwing a dart at a map of the United States. The dart landed on the map near the community of Bay City, Michigan.

The group went through many line-up changes (and non-charting singles) between 1971 and 1974. They charted 17 hit singles across countries in Europe and/or North America, the first being 'Keep On Dancing' (UK #9, 1971).

Beginning with 1974's 'Remember (Sha La La La)', the Rollers released a string of very successful hits on the British charts, and for a period they had their own UK television series, Shang-a-Lang (there was also an attempt at a US television show later in the band's career). By the spring of 1975, they were one of the highest-selling acts in Britain. A cover of the Four Seasons' 'Bye, Bye, Baby', stayed at No. 1 in the UK for six weeks in the spring of 1975, selling a million copies, and the subsequent single 'Give A Little Love' topped the charts that summer. At the peak of their popularity in the UK, comparisons were even made to The Beatles.

In 1976 they reached #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 with 'Saturday Night', a song which was never released as a single in the UK. A second US hit came with 'Money Honey' which hit #9. The group also hit the US and UK charts that year with a cover version of the Dusty Springfield song 'I Only Want To Be With You'. This would be their last Top 10 success in Britain.

The group's commercial fortunes declined towards the end of the 1970s. Paton was fired in 1979, as the band changed lead singers and shortened their name to The Rollers. Three albums were issued under this name, including 1981's Ricochet, but the group soon disbanded.

During the 80s and 90s, there were various short-lived revivals featuring some of the original members, notably including a New Year's Eve 1999 concert. Interest was rekindled in Britain by television documentaries about the group and a television-advertised compilation of greatest hits, which entered the UK charts on release in 2004 at its #11 peak.

Currently, there are two touring versions of the group: Les McKeown's Legendary Bay City Rollers and Ian Mitchell's Bay City Rollers. Each group features only its titled member from the original Rollers heyday.

Line-ups
The line-up with which the group is most associated is the late 1973-early 1976 assemblage:

Eric Faulkner (lead guitar)
Alan Longmuir (bass)
Derek Longmuir (drums)
Les McKeown (lead vocals)
Stuart Wood (rhythm guitar)
McKeown had replaced Gordon "Nobby" Clark (heard on 'Keep On Dancing'). Alan Longmuir was replaced briefly by Irish American guitarist Ian Mitchell, who in turn was replaced by guitarist Pat McGlynn. Longmuir re-joined the band in 1978. McKeown was replaced in 1979 by Duncan Faure, a South African singer.


Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_City_Rollers