Les McKeown, whose real name is Leslie McKeown, was a Scottish singer best known for having been the singer of the band 'Bay City Rollers' during its heyday in the mid-1970s.
Group which he joined in 1973 after the departure of the former founding singer Gordon Clark and with which he will have several notorious successes including "Remember (Sha-La-La-La)", "Shang-a-lang" and "Summerlove senation" in 1974.
But also "Bye, bye, baby" in 1975 as well as "Saturday night", "Money honey" and "I only want to be with you" in 1976.
Despite these repeated successes, the atmosphere within the group was far from being good and the singer decided to leave the ship in 1978 to form a new group called 'Egotrip'.
Group with which he produced a first album "All washed up" in 1979, album which will know a nice success of esteem.
First opus which will call others thereafter since he will produce 8 in the decades which will follow. Other albums with less success but of significant interest...
Artist who will leave us on April 20, 2021 at the age of 65 following a cardiac arrest.
To discover or rediscover.
Discography (among others…) :
Remember (Sha-La-La-La) (Bay City Rollers) 1974
Shang-a-lang (Bay City Rollers) 1974
Summerlove sensation (Bay City Rollers) 1974
Bye, bye, baby (Bay City Rollers) 1975
Give a little love (Bay City Rollers) 1975
Saturday nigh (Bay City Rollers) 1976
Money honey (Bay City Rollers) 1976
Rock and Roll love letter (Bay City Rollers) 1976
I only want to be with you (Bay City Rollers) 1976
Yesterday's hero (Bay City Rollers) 1976
It's a game (Bay City Rollers) 1977
You made me believe in magic (Bay City Rollers) 1977
The way I feel tonight (Bay City Rollers) 1977
Where will I be now (Bay City Rollers) 1978
All washed up 1979
Shall I do it (One more number one) 1979
Long distance love 1979
Dedicate this record 1980
Sayonara 1980
Tender love 1981
What does she see in me ? 1982
Just when I needed you most 1982
Can't we talk it over ? 1982
Gonna make you an offer 1982
Heart control 1982
Love is just a breath away 1988
She’s a lady 1988
It’s a game 1989
Nobody makes me crazy (Like you do) 1989
Love hurts and love heals 1989
Crazy nights 2016
Sweet 16 2016
Champion 2016
Clips :
1974...after a few unsuccessful attempts to say the least, the group will finally win a first star with this title. A star that will call many others...
1974...a year 1974 which saw the group explode at the highest level and become de facto one of the phenomena of the moment. It remains to confirm that all this is not by chance...
1974 ... certainly this title there will not really have the same level of success as its 2 predecessors but it will come out of it all the same hands down. It's already that...
1975...they are going to revisit here the title of the 4 Seasons and it's good for them because their version is going to be a real worldwide hit and far exceed the success achieved by the original. HU-GE !
1975...difficult for this title to compete with its predecessor but it will all the same allow the group to continue on the same dynamic of success as before. The essential is preserved...
1976...this time the success also extends to the United States, something they had not yet managed to achieve until then. Success is now complete !
1976...a year 1976 which will undoubtedly remain as their best Vintage with a plethora of planetary successes. Everything smiles at them in an insolent way to say the least !
1976...certainly some titles will work a little less well than others but the 'less well' is at the very least relative. For the moment no reason to worry more than that at this stage...
1976...it's another revisited version that will bring them luck once again. Their cover of the title of Dusty Springfield dating from 1963 will be a hit all over the planet and this time offer them their direct ticket to posterity. MAS-TER-FUL !
1976...they are now revisiting John Paul Young from 1974 and once again their version will almost be as strong as the original. Past Masters in the art of luxury copying...
1977...a year 1977 which confirms that the group manages to stay in the front runners with disconcerting ease. Hope it lasts !
1977...and the great adventure continues with this title. It's still been 4 years that the group occupies the top of the bill and he does not intend to stop in such a good way at first sight...
1977...unfortunately all the best stories come to an end. The group will know here its last major success and even if the adventure will continue thereafter, it will be more some figuration than anything else...
1978...the last year before going solo. A magnificent adventure that ends for the young Les and which will have launched him in an ideal way on the front of the international musical scene...
1979... the second part of his career therefore opens with this title. Not sure that this second part is as flourishing as the first unfortunately...
1979... after, given the incredible success he had with the Bay City Rollers, everything else can only be a bonus as they say...
1979... him in any case takes advantage of the moment and does not ask himself more than that any questions about the sequence of events. Rightly or wrongly, that's something else...
1980... the switch to the new decade is smooth and delicate. Good job once again but which no longer allows him to stay in contact with the best unfortunately...
1980... it is clear that the best years are now behind him but it is still worth it to continue the adventure anyway...
1981... it will still have to reinvent himself and quickly, otherwise the exit door may arrive faster than expected...
1982...the inspiration level is seriously starting to show weakness and the lights are turning orange. Attention danger...
1982...the competition is taking such a lead that it will be extremely difficult for him to come back into the race from now on. It's up to him to ask himself the right questions...
1982... it will be difficult to continue the adventure without a total questioning and a rapid change of style and sound, it is clear...
1982...he stayed too anchored on his fundamentals of the 70s and can't get out of it. But the musical world around him evolves quickly, very quickly...
1982... he makes real efforts to try to fill the gaps but the delay taken with the competition is such that it will be impossible for him to come back in the race...
1988...we will lose sight of him for almost 6 years and here he is again 6 years later, totally transformed to say the least. It must be said that when Dieter Bohlen gets involved, it's not really the same story...
1988...an unexpected comeback, to say the least. While we thought he was definitely lost to the cause, here he makes a most surprising and above all most effective return to us...
1989...an end of the 80s on the wheel hats and which gives him serious reasons to hope again in the future. Who would have thought that possible at the start of the decade, not many people, that's for sure...
1989... when you think back to his debut with the Bay City Rollers, it's really hard to imagine that it's the same one we're dealing with today...
1989... we can only rejoice in any case of this most salutary metamorphosis and which will have above all allowed him to show another facet of his talent...
2016...then nothing new for almost 7 years. Here he is again back with titles that we don't know if they are old or recent. There is doubt...
2016... anyway, these titles are added to a more than substantial discography and which shows at the same time that this artist has his place in the musical Pantheon of this end of the 20th century...
2016... come on, a little last for the road as they say. The adventure was beautiful, whether it had to take place with several people or alone, and the artist's prize list in the end was the most flattering...
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