Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Bay City Roller Les dead at 65
Bay City Rollers frontman dies suddenly at 65 Tributes to singer who wanted to go back on the road
WITH an army of screaming fans waving tartan scarves, singer Les Mckeown and his Bay City Rollers bandmates caused the biggest commotion in pop since the Beatles.
Rollermania swept the nation in the 1970s as the bouncy songs and gigantic smiles bewitched millions of youngsters.
But even before the bubble burst, there was acrimony and heartbreak.
Ex-bay City Rollers bandmate Stuart “Woody” Wood, 64, said of Les, who has died suddenly aged 65: “I am upset and shocked to hear this very sad news.
“Les and I had our differences over the years but we are sending our heartfelt condolences to Keiko his wife and his son Jubei and all the fans.
“He was a great performer on stage and he was full of energy.”
The group had No1 hits such as Bye Bye Baby and Give a Little Love.
Les’ former manager John Mclaughlin, who oversaw a 2015 comeback, said: “I’m still in shock.
“I spoke to him last week and he was on great form and happy about life and happy to book his tour.
“He was hoping to get it all going again and he was one of the hardest working men in the music industry.
“We got on so great and he was great fun to be around.
“He had his moments but was always a good laugh and a great performer. He was a great singer.
“The Bay City
Rollers were the biggest band in the world in the mid-70s and beyond.
“They had their own TV show. They flew the flag for Scotland and made me think as a wee boy watching the telly ‘you can be a pop star’ and they meant a lot to me.”
A statement from Les’ family said: “It is with profound sadness we announce the death of our beloved husband and father Leslie Richard
Mckeown.
“Leslie died suddenly at home... We are making arrangements for his funeral and ask for privacy after the shock of our profound loss.
Thank you. Keiko and Jubei
I’m upset and shocked. He was a great performer on stage.. full of energy BAY CITY ROLLERS BANDMATE STUART ‘WOODY’ WOOD
Mckeown.” Les was born in Edinburgh in 1955 to Irish parents, and joined the Bay City Rollers in 1973 when he was in his late teens.
It coincided with the Scottish group rising to superstardom thanks to hits in 1974 such as Shang-a-lang, and Summerlove Sensation.
With a huge following and more than 100 million records sold, they were mobbed by teenage girls wherever they went.
They also had a No1 in the US in 1976 with Saturday Night.
But the height of their success was marred with tragedy when Les was convicted of reckless driving in 1975 after he ran over and killed a 76-yearold neighbour. He was fined and given a year’s driving ban.
As well as Les and Woody, the classic line-up also included Eric
Faulkner, Alan Longmuir and Alan’s younger brother Derek. Les and Woody sometimes came to blows during their success.
Woody kicked Les off stage in front of 20,000 people in Japan in 1978. Woody once said: “He just stepped in my light on stage and I went WHAM!” Les, left the band the same year. The group stopped touring in 1981 before various reunions and incarnations. Les, Alan and Woody reunited in 2015 for a sellout tour. But the reunion ended in acrimony when plans to record their first album in over 30 years were scrapped.
Les threatened to sue Woody for touring under the name Bay City
Rollers. Bassist
Alan died at
70 in 2018.
During a stint in rehab in 2008, Les spoke candidly in a Living TV documentary. In 2005 he had been caught with a wrap of cocaine before being cleared of conspiracy to supply the drug. He spent four months in rehab in California, admitting: “For six years from 2002 I
was [drinking] a couple of bottles of whisky a day.” Doctors told him he would die if he did not stop drinking.
He also spoke about his affairs with men and women over the years.
Later, he told the Mirror his revelations brought him and his wife closer together – and credited Keiko and their son with saving his life.
“Me and my wife are a lot closer now than we were before that,” he said in 2015. “That’s the catalyst into a deeper relationship.
“You realise that all that stuff is a bit shallow compared to the depth of the relationship you have with your wife.” He once said he “got flipped to the dark side” by the death of his parents, who died within weeks of each other.
Les also said he was raped aged 19 after being given a sedative.
Legal disputes between the former band members prevented him performing under the name Bay City Rollers and in 2005, in court for a driving offence, it was said he lived off £6,000 in savings with only occasional concerts bringing in any money.
After decades in a legal battle with their former record label Arista over millions in royalties, it was reported in 2016 the band got less than £70,000 each in an out of court settlement.
Just weeks ago Les was promoting forthcoming concert dates.