List of Bay City Rollers band members
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Bay City Rollers (BCR) are a Scottish pop rock band from Edinburgh. Formed in 1967, the group originally featured co-lead vocalists Gordon "Nobby" Clark and Mike Ellison, guitarist Greg Ellison, bassist Alan Longmuir, keyboardist Dave Pettigrew, and drummer Derek Longmuir (Alan's older brother). The band has been through numerous lineup and name changes during its tenure, with the current lineup featuring guitarist Stuart "Woody" Wood (who first joined in 1974) alongside 2018 additions Ian Thomson (lead vocals, guitar) and Jamie McGrory (drums), plus 2023 arrivals Mikey Smith (bass) and John McLaughlin (keyboards, vocals).
History
1967–1978
Bay City Rollers evolved from an earlier trio called the Ambassadors, formed by brothers Alan and Derek Longmuir in 1964, which later evolved into the Saxons and eventually became BCR.[1] The first lineup of the group under the BCR name, in 1967,[2] included vocalists Gordon "Nobby" Clark and Mike Ellison, guitarist Greg Ellison, keyboardist Dave Pettigrew, and Alan and Derek Longmuir on bass and drums, respectively.[3] Shortly after Tam Paton became the group's manager, Mike Ellison left and Keith Norman joined as a second keyboardist.[2] In the summer of 1968, Greg Ellison followed his brother in leaving BCR, citing creative differences with Paton. Pettigrew left at the same time, after Paton brought in Davie Paton instead of allowing him to take over Ellison's role on guitar.[4]
Norman left around a year later, with Alan Dunn briefly taking his place.[5] After "a matter of weeks",[6] Dunn was forced to leave due to an arm injury, and was replaced by Billy Lyall.[7] In March 1970, Eric Manclark was added to BCR on rhythm guitar.[8] By October, Paton had been replaced by Neil Henderson, and by April the following year Lyall had been replaced by Archie Marr.[9] This lineup released the band's first single, a cover of "Keep on Dancing" by the Gentrys, in October 1971.[10] Shortly after the release of the second, "We Can Make Music", in March 1972,[11] which failed to chart, both guitarists and Archie Marr left the Rollers.[2] In June 1972, Henderson and Manclark were replaced by Eric Faulkner and John Devine, respectively, who performed on "Mañana" and "Saturday Night".[12]
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By late-1973, Clark had left BCR due to frustration with their lack of success since "Keep on Dancing".[13] He was replaced by Les McKeown, who joined "on or around" 18 November.[14] The following January, Devine was replaced by Stuart "Woody" Wood, marking the finalisation of the band's 'classic' lineup.[15] Over the next two years, the band released four studio albums – Rollin', Once Upon a Star, Wouldn't You Like It? and Rock n' Roll Love Letter.[16] Alan Longmuir left the band in April 1976, replaced by guitarist Ian Mitchell with Wood switching to bass.[17] BCR recorded Dedication in 1976, but by November Mitchell had been replaced by Pat McGlynn.[18] Like his predecessor, McGlynn lasted only seven months in the group before he was sacked in May 1977, with the remaining four members opting to continue without a second guitarist.[19] After releasing and touring in promotion of It's a Game in 1977, Alan Longmuir rejoined (now on guitar) in early 1978 for the recording of Strangers in the Wind.[20]
1978–1990
By November 1978, BCR had parted ways with McKeown and replaced him with Duncan Faure.[21] The band subsequently changed their name to the Rollers with the release of 1979's Elevator.[22] After the release of two more albums – Voxx and Ricochet – the Rollers split up in the summer of 1981 following disappointing commercial performance.[23] Within a year, however, the group had reformed, with McKeown returning as frontman in place of Faure.[24] Early the following year, the group's lineup expanded to a seven-piece with the return of former members Ian Mitchell and Pat McGlynn, for a tour which spawned the album Live in Japan.[25]
During recording of a new album in 1984, both Longmuir brothers left Bay City Rollers again, with Derek replaced by George Spencer.[26] The album, Breakout, was released the following year, with the band embarking on a worldwide tour in promotion of its release. Former singer Duncan Faure appeared with the group at select shows in the UK, but was unable to join full-time due to travel restrictions.[26] After a final tour without Eric Faulkner, the band broke up again in 1987.[27]
Following the band's breakup, Faulkner formed the New Rollers with bassist Chris Ellen, keyboardist Kevin Peach, drummer Barry Roberts and backing vocalist Karen "Kass" Prosser.[28] After a limited-release album Bay City Take Two, Andy Boakes replaced Ellen in June 1987, before guitarist Simon Stewart and drummer Mark Roberts were brought in to perform on the band's second release, the EP Party Harty.[28] For the subsequent touring cycle and recording of second album Life Is a Wasteland, Faulkner, Prosser and Boakes were joined by guitarist Jason Medvec, keyboardist A. J. Nicholas and drummer John Richardson.[28] Stewart and Mark Roberts returned in place of Nicholas and Richardson, respectively, for another tour in the summer of 1989, before Stuart Wood took over from Stewart in September that year.[28] A final run of shows in Australia followed between September and November, before Medvec, Boakes and Roberts all left ahead of a planned reunion between Faulkner, Wood and Alan Longmuir.[28]
1990–2016
In February 1990, Alan Longmuir returned and the band reverted to the Bay City Rollers name.[29] After releasing the fan-club only albums M62 and Bye Bye Baby in 1991 with drummer Phil Watts, Mark Roberts returned in February 1992 just as Greatest Hits, featuring re-recordings of a number of tracks, also received a limited release.[29] Andy Boakes also returned on bass around the same time, with Longmuir switching back to rhythm guitar and keyboards alongside Stuart Wood.[29] By the fall of 1992, Boakes had left again, with Wood switching back to bass and Simon Stewart rejoining to take his place on guitar.[29] The group continued touring throughout the 1990s.[30]
After several years of conflict, including lawsuits regarding the use of the band's name, a reunion of the 'classic' lineup of BCR was teased by Wood in early 1997.[31] In March 1999, it was officially confirmed that the group had reunited, with former frontman Les McKeown and guitarist Eric Faulkner having reconciled during the filming of a documentary about the band.[32] A few days after the announcement, it was confirmed that the new lineup would feature McKeown, Faulkner, Wood and Alan Longmuir together for the first time since McKeown's original departure in 1978.[33] Longmuir had switched to keyboards several years earlier after suffering a heart attack.[34]
On New Year's Eve 1999, BCR performed at Princes Street Gardens as part of Scotland's Hogmanay celebrations — their first show since reforming.[35] The drummer for the performance was Dov Skipper.[36] The reformation was short-lived, however, as the band returned to an inactive state shortly thereafter.[37]
15 years after the initial reformation, McKeown, Wood and Alan Longmuir announced a second reunion of BCR in September 2015.[38] The rest of the lineup was made up of members from McKeown's spin-off band: Phil Hendriks on guitar, Si Mulvey on bass, Scott McGowan on keyboards and Dan Guest on drums.[39] The group played a number of shows at the end of 2015 into 2016, before Wood announced his departure live onstage at T in the Park on 9 July 2016.[40] The group subsequently disbanded again.[41]
Since 2018
In March 2018, Wood announced a "new generation" of Bay City Rollers, reforming the band with new members Ian Thomson on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Marcus Cordock on bass, Gary O'Hagan on keyboards, and Jamie McGrory on drums.[42] Between 2018 and 2021, several former members of the band died — first, on 2 July 2018, Alan Longmuir died following a "short illness";[43] next, on 2 September 2020, former guitarist Ian Mitchell also died;[44] and finally, on 22 April 2021, singer Les McKeown died "suddenly" at home.[45] Later in 2021, the band released "Rollin' into Christmas" with Steve Morrison on drums and without O'Hagan.[46] In March 2022, McGrory returned to BCR.[47] By 2023, Cordock had been replaced by Mikey Smith, while the vacant keyboardist position had been taken over by John McLaughlin, with the band releasing "Brand New Day" that year.[48] This was followed in 2024 by a new version of "Shang-a-Lang" to mark its 50th anniversary,[49] as well as a new studio album, Keep on Rollin'.[50]
Members
Current
| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stuart "Woody" Wood |
|
all Bay City Rollers (BCR) releases from Rollin' (1974) onwards, except New Rollers releases | ||
| Ian Thomson | 2018–present |
|
all BCR releases from "Rollin' into Christmas" (2021) onwards | |
| Jamie "Jambo" McGrory |
|
|
all BCR releases from "Brand New Day" (2023) onwards | |
| Mikey Smith | 2023–present |
| ||
| John McLaughlin |
|
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Notes
- Wood's primary instrument was rhythm guitar from 1974 to 1976, 1989 to 1992 and 2015 to 2016, bass from 1976 to 1987 and 1999 to 2000, and has been lead guitar since 2018.
Former
| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Derek Longmuir |
|
|
| |
| Alan Longmuir (1948–2018) |
|
| ||
| Gordon "Nobby" Clark | 1967–1973 |
|
"Keep on Dancing" (1971)|"We Can Make Music" (1972)|"Mañana" (1972)|"Saturday Night" (1973) | |
| Dave "The Rave" Pettigrew | 1967–1968 |
|
none | |
| Greg Ellison |
| |||
| Mike Ellison | 1967 | lead vocals | ||
| Keith Norman | 1967–1969 |
| ||
| Davie Paton | 1968–1970 |
| ||
| Alan Dunn | 1969 |
| ||
| Billy Lyall (1953–1989) |
1969–1971 | |||
| Eric Manclark | 1970–1972 |
|
| |
| Neil Henderson (1953–2026) |
1970–1972 |
| ||
| Archie Marr (1952–2018) |
1971–1972 |
| ||
| Eric Faulkner |
|
|
all BCR and New Roller releases from "Mañana" (1972) to Rollerworld: Live at the Budokan, Tokyo 1977 (2001) | |
| John Devine | 1972–1974 |
|
| |
| Les McKeown (1955–2021) |
|
|
| |
| Ian Mitchell (1958–2020) |
|
|
| |
| Pat McGlynn |
|
| ||
| Duncan Faure |
|
|
||
| George Spencer | 1984–1987 |
|
Breakout '85 (1985) | |
| Karen "Kass" Prosser | 1987–1999 | backing vocals | all New Rollers and BCR releases from Bay City Take Two (1987) to Greatest Hits (1992) | |
| Kevin Peach | 1987–1988 (New Rollers) |
|
| |
| Barry Roberts |
|
Bay City Take Two (1987) | ||
| Chris Ellen | 1987 (New Rollers) |
| ||
| Andy Boakes |
|
| ||
| Mark Roberts |
|
| ||
| Simon Stewart |
| |||
| Jason Medvec | 1988–1989 (New Rollers) | none | ||
| John Richardson |
| |||
| A. J. Nicholas |
| |||
| Phil Watts | 1990–1992 | drums |
| |
| Dov Skipper | 1999–2000 | none | ||
| Phil Hendriks | 2015–2016 | lead guitar |
| |
| Si Mulvey | bass | |||
| Scott McGowan | keyboards | |||
| Dan Guest | drums | |||
| Marcus Cordock | 2018–2023 |
|
"Rollin' into Christmas" (2021) | |
| Gary O'Hagan | 2018–2021 |
|
none | |
| Steve Morrison | 2021–2022 |
|
"Rollin' into Christmas" (2021) |
Notes
- Longmuir's primary instrument was bass from 1967 to 1976, 1990 to 1991 and 2015 to 2016, rhythm guitar from 1978 to 1981, 1982 to 1984 and 1991 to 1994, and keyboards from 1995 to 2000.
- Faulkner performed lead vocals for the New Rollers and "rebooted" Bay City Rollers from 1987 to 1999, before Les McKeown returned to the band.
Timeline
Lineups
| Period | Members | Releases |
|---|---|---|
| 1967 |
|
none |
| Late 1967–summer 1968 |
| |
| Summer 1968–autumn 1969 |
| |
| 1969 |
| |
| Late 1969–March 1970 |
| |
| March–October 1970 |
| |
| October 1970–April 1971 |
| |
| April 1971–spring 1972 |
|
|
| June 1972–November 1973 |
|
|
| November 1973–January 1974 |
|
none |
| January 1974–April 1976 |
|
|
| April–November 1976 |
|
|
| November 1976–May 1977 |
|
none |
| May 1977–early 1978 |
|
|
| Early–October 1978 |
|
|
| November 1978–summer 1981 (as the Rollers) |
|
|
| Band inactive autumn 1981–spring 1982 | ||
| Summer 1982–early 1983 |
|
none |
| Early 1983–early 1984 |
|
|
| Early 1984–late 1985 |
|
|
| Late 1985–early 1987 |
|
none |
| Early–mid 1987 (as the New Rollers) |
|
|
| June 1987–April 1988 (as the New Rollers) |
|
none |
| April–August 1988 (as the New Rollers) |
|
|
| August 1988–January 1989 (as the New Rollers) |
|
|
| May–September 1989 (as the New Rollers) |
|
none |
| September–November 1989 (as the New Rollers) |
| |
| February 1990–late 1991 |
|
|
| Late 1991–February 1992 |
|
none |
| February–fall 1992 |
| |
| Fall 1992–early 1999 |
| |
| March 1999–January 2000 |
| |
| Band inactive February 2000–August 2015 | ||
| September 2015–July 2016 |
|
|
| Band inactive August 2016–February 2018 | ||
| March 2018–2021 |
|
none |
| 2021–March 2022 |
|
|
| 2023–present |
|
|
Les McKeown's BCR
During his various tenures out of the official Bay City Rollers, vocalist Les McKeown operated a number of bands under similar monikers. He first performed under the BCR name in February 1992, with a band that included fellow alumnus Ian Mitchell on guitar.[29] After facing legal action for his unauthorised use of the name, McKeown renamed his group "Les McKeown's 70's Bay City Rollers", releasing the albums Greatest Hits and Love Letter in 1993, featuring re-recorded versions of classic BCR songs; members on these albums included Mitchell, guitarist Terry Munday, keyboardist Russell Keefe and drummer Terry Chimes.[53][54] The band was also billed as "Les McKeown's Legendary Bay City Rollers" on a number of occasions.[55] McKeown continued to perform with his own version of the band following the short-lived 1999–2000 reunion,[56] with various incarnations of the group active up until the singer's death in 2021.[57] McKeown's former bandmates continue to perform under the name of the Legendaries.[58]
References
- Coy, Wayne (15 May 2005), Bay City Babylon: The Unbelievable But True Story of the Bay City Rollers, Tucson, Arizona: Hats Off! Books, ISBN 978-1587364631
- Longmuir, Alan; Knight, Martin (14 November 2018), I Ran with the Gang: My Life in and Out of the Bay City Rollers, Edinburgh, Scotland: Luath Press, ISBN 978-1912387212
- Spence, Simon (7 October 2016), When the Screaming Stops: The Dark History of the Bay City Rollers, New York City, New York: Omnibus Press, ISBN 978-1783237050