Bay
City Rollers
The '70s British pop quintet Bay City Rollers was formed in Edinburgh,
Scotland in 1970 by vocalist Nobby Clarke, guitarists John Devine
and Eric Faulkner, bassist Alan Longmuir and drummer Derek Longmuir.
They named their group by pointing to a random spot on a map of
the United States and ended up on Bay City, Mich.
After
scoring a U.K. Top 10 hit in 1971 with "Keep On Dancing,"
the group replaced Clarke and Devine with singer Leslie McKeown
and guitarist Stuart Wood, then returned to the Top 10 in 1974
with "Remember (Walking In the Sand)."
Over
the next few years the 'Rollers became teen idols in Britain,
scoring No. 1 hits with "Bye Bye Baby," "Give a
Little Love," and others, almost all covers. By 1975 the
'Rollers were charting in the U.S. as well, hitting No. 1 with
"Saturday Night" and reaching the Top 10 with "Money
Honey" and "You Made Me Believe in Magic." After
releasing five straight U.S. gold albums, the group disbanded
in 1978 following a series of rapid lineup changes.
Several
members continued on as the Rollers, and later the New Rollers,
playing to the group's small but fiercely loyal cult which persists
to this day in Britain, Germany and Japan.