- Les McKeown
Leslie Richard McKeown (born
November 12 ,1955 at Simpson Memorial Maternity Pavilion Hospital,Edinburgh ,Scotland ) is apop singer . He was the lead singer for the '70s pop sensation theBay City Rollers during their most successful period.McKeown joined the Bay City Rollers in late 1973, replacing original lead singer Nobby Clark. The group's intense popularity, nicknamed "
Rollermania ", took off shortly after that. He was with the band until 1978, at which time he left to pursue a career as asolo artist . He released a series of solo albums which saw modest success, primarily in Germany and Japan.One of McKeown's most unusual musical collaborations after leaving the Bay City Rollers was singing on
Filigree & Shadow , the second album by gothic/dream pop bandThis Mortal Coil . [ [http://www.4ad.com/thismortalcoil/profile/] ]In 1990 he participated in the UK heats of the
Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Ball and Chain", which placed fifth.He was ordered by Harlow magistrates on
August 23 2005 , to appear at Chelmsford Crown Court on drugs charges, following his bail release, [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4176628.stm 1] OnJanuary 31 2006 , McKeown admitted being a drug user but denied being a dealer. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4662880.stm] On3 February 2006 , he was acquitted of cocaine dealing. He suggested that he would sue the Metropolitan Police for earnings he lost from an overseas tour that was cancelled as a result of the proceedings. [http://arts.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,1702097,00.html] McKeown detailed many of these issues in his 2003 autobiography, "Shang-a-lang: Life as an International Pop Idol".Today McKeown resides in
England with his Japanese wife, Peko, and their son, Richard. He still tours with his current band, Les McKeown's Legendary Bay City Rollers. He is the only former Roller in the band. The group most recently appeared in theCountdown Spectacular 2 concert series inAustralia between late-August and early-September 2007.Bibliography
* "Shang-a-lang: Life as an International Pop Idol" Les McKeown,
Lynne Elliott ,Irvine Welsh , 2003 ISBN 1-84018-651-8.References
Stambler, Irwin, "Encyclopedia of Pop, rock & Soul". 1974. St. Martin's Press, Inc., New York, N.Y. ISBN 0-312-02573-4
External links
* [http://www.lesmckeown.com/ Official website]
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