Fifty-three years ago, the Bay City Rollers gave “Saturday Night” its first try, but it didn’t take off. A few years later, with a new lineup and a teenage frontman, a re-recorded version of the song became the band’s biggest hit in America.
Brothers Derek and Alan Longmuir were among the musicians who first formed the band in Scotland in the mid-’60s. The group went through several early lineup and name changes before settling on the Bay City Rollers.
It took a few years to find their footing, but the band broke through in 1971 with “Keep On Dancing,” a cover of a ’60s tune by The Gentrys that climbed to No. 9 in the U.K.
Not every song caught on. The band’s first version of “Saturday Night,” written by the songwriting duo Bill Martin and Phil Coulter, came out in 1973 with Gordon “Nobby” Clark on lead vocals. It failed to chart.
Around the same time, the band’s lineup was changing. Leslie McKeown replaced Clark as lead singer, while guitarist Stuart “Woody” Wood joined the group, replacing John Devine.
McKeown was just 18 when he joined. Together with brothers Alan and Derek and guitarist Eric Faulkner, they formed what would become the band’s classic lineup.
After “Remember” reached No. 6 in the U.K. in 1974, the Bay City Rollers continued their hot streak with hits such as “Shang-A-Lang,” “Summerlove Sensation” and “All of Me Loves All of You.”
With the Bay City Rollers riding high in the U.K., the band set its sights on breaking into the American market.
Music executive Clive Davis selected “Saturday Night” for the group’s first U.S. recording, according to McKeown.
“When we came to America, it was strange,” he recalled to Rock Club 40. “At that time in 1975 /76, there were bands that were big in the U.K; bands like Sweet who went to America and not had the kind of success that they probably expected. We were kind of nervous because we thought ‘We’ll never get big in America!’”
It didn’t take long for Davis’ bet to pay off. “When I joined the band, he picked that song for our first recording in the U.S.A. and it just stormed to No. 1 and we came into America on a No. 1 record,” McKeown continued.
“We thought ‘What?! Life can’t get any better! A helicopter picked us up from the airport and swooped into Madison Square Gardens which was filled with adoring fans. It was just the best thing ever!”
This time, with McKeown on vocals, the re-recorded version far outperformed the original. Released as a U.S. single in the fall of 1975, “Saturday Night” climbed the charts and reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1976.
“Saturday Night” turned out to be the first of several U.S. hits for the Bay City Rollers. “Money Honey” and “You Made Me Believe in Magic” followed, and the band ultimately racked up five more Top 40 songs in America.
Then, almost as quickly as it had taken off, the band’s popularity began to decline. The classic lineup didn’t hold together much longer.
Alan left in 1976 and was replaced by Ian Mitchell, who was later replaced by Pat McGlynn. Alan eventually returned in 1978, but by then McKeown had also left the group.
The band rebranded as The Rollers and carried on for a few more years with new singer Duncan Faure, but their biggest hits were already behind them.
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