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Bay City Rollers: ex-frontman Les McKeown is dead

2021-04-23T01:27:56.199Z


Hits like “Bye Bye Baby” caused “Rollermania” in the seventies: For a few years the Bay City Rollers were among the greatest pop stars of all. Now her former singer Les McKeown has died.


Enlarge image

Les McKeown (center) with the Bay City Rollers (1975)

Photo: Pa / dpa

The singer of the British 1970s band Bay City Rollers, Les McKeown, is dead. His family confirmed this in London on Thursday.

According to a message on Facebook, McKeown died on April 20 at the age of 65.

"It is with great sadness that we must announce the death of our beloved husband and father, Leslie Richard McKeown," it said.

According to the family, it was a sudden death, but there is no information about the cause.

The Bay City Rollers celebrated worldwide success in the 1970s with songs such as "Bye Bye Baby", "Shang-a-Lang" and "Give a Little Love".

Even comparisons were made with the Beatles.

The five boys from Scotland, who also set fashion trends, were particularly popular with young people.

They expressed their Scottish ancestry with plaid clothing, which their fans soon wore enthusiastically.

The band's commercial success was enormous: According to the BBC, they sold more than 120 million records worldwide.

Their fame did not last, however, in 1978 McKeown left the group.

He later made headlines with drug and alcohol drama.

After a long break, the formation was last ringed through Great Britain and the USA.

There the Bay City Rollers had landed a number one hit in their wedding with "Saturday Night".

A former bass player also passed away recently

"I think we were a breath of fresh air in the 1970s," McKeown had told the Scottish Press and Journal just before the reunited band performed at the 2016 T in the Park festival.

Enlarge image

Les McKeown on stage (2016)

Photo: Jane Barlow / dpa

“Our music wasn't complicated.

But it's unbelievable that some people saw us as teenagers and now come to concerts with their daughters.

And then they sing our songs together, that's really special «, the musician continued at the time.

In September, the former Bay City Rollers bassist, Ian Mitchell, died.

He was 62 years old.

jok / dpa

Source: spiegel

All life articles on 2021-04-23

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