Minor British Institutions: The Bay City Rollers
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Shang a Lang! Most of those associated with the Bay City Rollers are either dead or pushing retirement age, but, almost 40 years after their heyday, the Rollers are still rolling.
The name is slightly different these days, though; never in the history of pop has one band been so plagued by legal wrangles, and partly for those reasons the surviving members now tour as Les McKeown's Legendary Bay City Rollers.
Les it was whose Ford Mustang knocked down and killed 75-year-old Mrs Euphemia Clunie in Edinburgh in 1974, marking the beginning of their slide into obscurity.
By the time their manager, Tam Paton, was convicted of gross indecency with teenage boys in the early 1980s, the tartan glory was long gone.
Yet they sold more than 70m records, had their own TV show and were compared to the Beatles before the arrival of punk rendered them obsolescent. A pity, as they had some nice tunes, such as "Bye, Bye, Baby" and "Give a Little Lov". Is it too much to hope for a Rollers revival?
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments