Nearly four decades after the 1970’s boy band the Bay City Rollers first became one of the biggest singing sensations of the era two of the original 70’s BCR group members are still feuding according to the Daily Record.
In 1970 Bay City Roller members included lead singer Les McKeown, guitarist Eric Faulkner, Stuart “Woody” Wood, Alan Longmiur and drummer Dereck Longmuir.
However, it was not until 1976 until the band hit the ground running with their number one hit single Saturday Night. The Bay City Rollers are a Scottish pop rock band known for their worldwide teen idol popularity in the 1970s. They have been called the “tartan teen sensations from Edinburgh”, and “the first of many acts heralded as the ‘biggest group since the Beatles.’
The Rollers began blowing, touring the world nonstop and creating mass hysteria and chaos where ever they went. At every city, thousands of screaming female fans were lined up for days on end dressed in the band’s tartan and plaid matching wardrobes.
By the late 70’s problems within the band concerning managerial issues, deceit and growing egos caused major friction within the group. It was the first of numerous issues that eventually led to lead singer Les deciding to leave the group and venture out on his own.
New band members were in and out of the Rollers up until the 1980s when the remaining members of the group decided to stop touring altogether.
After many struggles, legal, financial and personal among the original members of the BCR Les, Woody and Alan decided to reunite and give things ago once again for one show in 2015.
Sadly, once again different visions and personalities conflicted and it ended before really getting started too many Roller fans disappointment.
Over the years Les McKeown developed his own BCR version “Les McKeown’s Bay City Rollers and has been successfully touring Scotlandand Japan for the past several years.
Similar ideas have been developed by Woody, which has now caused a major feud among the former band mates and friends. Les McKeown claims that Woody is trying to “cash in” following the death of their close pal and former band mate Alan Longmuir.
Longmuir passed away in 2018 at the age of 70. So here is what the 2019 feud is all about, Les claims Woody, whom he now calls “the enemy” has been exaggerating his friendship with Alan only to promote his current
BCR shows.
McKeown believes it is all a money grab as he criticized Wood for even charging fans close to $45 to meet him following his shows at the Hard Rock Cafe. Les is completely irate after learning that Woody is playing shows billed as the Bay City Rollers, despite the 61-year old guitarist being the only former member in the new line-up.
Les told the Sunday Mail: “Mr Wood has been trying to make out he is a good pal of Alan and he was using Alan’s passing as publicity for his tribute to the Bay City Rollers.
“It is not true that he was friends with Alan over the last four or five years and he caused Alan a lot of stress. He keeps saying he was the best pal of Alan and that he was the guitarist and vocalist. People getting there realize it’s not the Bay City Rollers and I can’t understand why people would want to pay £40 to meet that guy who wasn’t the singer and wasn’t even the best guitarist in the band.”
Woody is playing shows billed as the Bay City Rollers, despite being the only former member in the line-up Les warns Bay City Roller fans not to expect the “real deal” if they go to see any future concerts with Woody at the helm.
“I have just come off a tour of Japan so there are plenty of people getting the real deal. I have a Scottish tour in August if people want to see the real deal.”
This feud is heading towards legal issues between Les and Woody. Les said: “He should be putting out Stuart Wood’s Bay City Rollers but that’s not what he is doing. He added: “I have been building up the Bay City Rollers for decades and I have been using the name Les McKeown’s Bay City Rollers.
“I want my name in there so people know they are getting the real deal and the original voice on the hits. That is why I have been working hard all these years and getting good reactions from the audiences.”
Woody insisted he had the right to use the Bay City Rollers name. He said: “I wonder what Les means by the ‘real deal’, when he was one fifth of the original Bay City Rollers, just like myself. Les was always difficult to work with. The reunion was a nightmare and he killed it.”
Heartbreaking news for Bay City Roller fans worldwide. Many have expressed their desire to see Les McKeown and Woody Wood as well as Eric all reunite and tour the globe as the happy go lucky Bay City Rollers they all once loved and admired in the 70’s. Not so sure that will ever happen now fans.
