Long before the days of “The New Kids on the Block“, “Nsync“, and “The Backstreet Boys“, there was “The Bay City Rollers“…..
You ladies who are over 40 years old probably remember this group well.
Back when I was in about the 5th-8th grades in school, practically EVERY girl in school was in love with one or more members of the Bay City Rollers.
Us guys used to cringe when their hits would come on the radio.
The Bay City Rollers were a Scottish Pop Band popular worldwide during the 1970′s and one of the first examples of the dreaded musical genre known as “The Boy Band“.
The group was founded in Scotland in the mid 1960′s. At that time, the band was known as “The Saxons“. Seeking a less Scottish sounding name, they allegedly got their new name by throwing a dart at a map of The United States. Supposedly, the dart landed in Arkansas, and not wanting to be known as “The Arkansas Rollers”, the band threw a second dart, with that one landing on the town of “Bay City, Michigan“.
They released a number of albums and had a great deal of success in the United Kingdom during the early 70′s but it was not until 1976 that they would get their first chart hit in the US.
That single, “Saturday Night” would be their first and biggest US hit, rising to #1 on the Billboard Charts.
They would go on to chart six singles into the Billboard Top-40 charts, all in the years 1976 and 1977.
During the mid 1970′s they were worldwide teen heartthrobs and were featured on the covers of dozens of magazines.
Their songs included:
Saturday Night
You Made Me Believe in Magic
Rock and Roll Love Letter
I Only Wanna Be With You
The Way I Feel Tonight
Money Honey
The Ballad of John Erickson
The end of the 1970′s saw the beginning of major personnel changes in the members of the band and a failure to achieve any more chart success in the United Kingdom or in the US.
The group officially broke up in 1981.
At their peak in the 1970′s, The Bay City Rollers were:
Les McKeown – Vocals
Eric Faulkner – Guitar
Stuart Wood – Guitar
Alan Longmuir – Bass
Derek Longmuir – Drums
As of today, McKeown and Faulkner still tour playing the Rollers hits but due to legal reasons, they are unable to use the Bay City Rollers name.
Ballad of John Erickson?
By: BrainRants on November 20, 2011
at 1:22 pm
Brainrants – It was a touching ballad…. I still tear up everytime I hear it….. It has the same effect on me as “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald”…..
By: TheIdiotSpeaketh on November 20, 2011
at 1:27 pm
I must have been too sophisticated at the time. . .I remember some of the songs, but not the group so much.
By: CMSmith on November 20, 2011
at 3:02 pm
OH my gosh!! I just watched the video– I hate to say it but yes I was one of those girls that was “in love” with them.
By: Teresa on November 20, 2011
at 3:15 pm
Oh, admit it, Mark, you’ve STILL got their poster in your bedroom today!
But really, THEM doing my ballad? I was hoping for an Englebert Humperdink, at the very least!
By: John Erickson on November 20, 2011
at 4:57 pm
No-Hio – No…..Englebert did the REMAKE of that classic song….. I remember it was a big hit in England in the late 80′s…. but it was from as good as the original by the Rollers. I don’t have any posters left, but I do have a one-piece Bay City Rollers pajama’s ensemble that I still wear quite frequently…..
By: TheIdiotSpeaketh on November 20, 2011
at 5:00 pm
Agggggghhhhhhhhh!!!!!!
That’s me screaming in delight at seeing a photo of Les and the subject of your post. Now I’m going to cry a little, then try really, really hard to control my emotions.
Ah, reliving the past is a wonderful thing. Yes, I was one of “them.” I had the albums, the posters, and a secret stash of plaid garments. My friends and I ate Chip Buddies just like the Rollers. You, too, can make and eat Chip Buddies with your friends.
http://bighappynothing.wordpress.com/2011/04/06/im-a-carmine-chameleon/
And, of course, when I saw them in concert in Boston, Les was going to see me in the audience and ask me to marry him. Clearly another crazed fan blocked his view.
By: Amiable Amiable on November 24, 2011
at 7:08 am
Amiable – You must be in my general age group…. because your reaction to the Rollers is right in line with how the girls in my school reacted whenever the subject of the Rollers came up
By: TheIdiotSpeaketh on November 24, 2011
at 9:18 am
Yup, I’m as young as you are.
By: Amiable Amiable on December 1, 2011
at 7:38 pm
Amiable – We be REAL young….
By: TheIdiotSpeaketh on December 1, 2011
at 9:13 pm
Ian is a good friend of my sister. They have Been great friends since the baycity rollers were still rolling.
By: Kevin on December 16, 2011
at 9:19 pm