The Rollers
| Bay City Rollers | |
|---|---|
Bay City Rollers in the Netherlands (1976)
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Genres | Pop, pop rock, power pop, glam rock |
| Years active | 1966–87, 1990, 1998–2000, 2015– |
| Labels | Bell, Arista, Epic |
| Associated acts | The Saxons The Rollers Pilot |
| Members | |
| Past members |
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The Bay City Rollers are a Scottish pop band whose popularity was highest in the mid 1970s. The British Hit Singles & Albums noted they were "tartan teen sensations from Edinburgh", and were "the first of many acts heralded as the 'biggest group since the Beatles' and one of the most screamed-at teeny-bopper acts of the 1970s". For a relatively brief, but fervent period (nicknamed "Rollermania"), they were worldwide teen idols. The group's line-up had numerous changes over the years, but the classic line-up during its heyday included; guitarists Eric Faulkner and Stuart John Wood, singer Les McKeown, bassist Alan Longmuir, and drummer Derek Longmuir.
In 1966 bassist Alan Longmuir, his younger brother, drummer Derek Longmuir and their schoolfriend, lead singer Gordon "Nobby" Clark, founded The Saxons in Edinburgh, Scotland. Soon after, they changed to The Bay City Rollers by throwing a dart at a map of the United States, which landed near Bay City, Michigan. The Bay City Rollers' first manager was Tam Paton, himself a former big band leader. Short-term members from this period included bassist David Paton (from 1969 to 1970) and keyboardist Billy Lyall (1969–71), who went on to be founding members of another successful Edinburgh band, Pilot.
After signing with Bell Records, the band's first hit was "Keep On Dancing" (UK No. 9, 1971), a cover of a 1965 hit by The Gentrys. Clark was backed on vocals on "Keep On Dancing" by King, multi-tracked. Upon this release's success, they made appearances on BBC One's Top of the Pops.
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