Anniversary of The Bay City Rollers Saturday Night Hit

01/03/2011
. (Gibson) It's kind of funny to think about now, but for a short time in the '70s, the Bay City Rollers were considered to be "the next Beatles." Yes, in the middle of the decade, Rollermania was in full effect, starting in Britain and eventually reaching American shores, thanks to a certain blockbuster single. On this day in 1976, the band's "Saturday Night" hit #1 on the Billboard charts.

But that success was more than a few years in the making. The band that would become the Bay City Rollers was formed in 1966 as the Saxons, with founding members Alan Longmuir (bass), Derek Longmuir (drums) and Gordon "Noddy" Clark (vocals). Unhappy with their moniker, the guys chose a new name by throwing a dart at a map. It happened to land near Bay City, Michigan � and thus a bunch of Scottish guys became associated with a Midwestern U.S. locale.

The Rollers scored their first U.K. hit in 1971 with a cover of The Gentrys' "Keep on Dancing," but had trouble landing a follow-up on the charts. An earlier version of "Saturday Night" barely missed the charts in 1973. Fed up with the lack of success, Noddy Clark left the group and was replaced by new frontman Les McKeown. By this time, long-term members Eric Faulkner and Stuart "Woody" Wood had also joined the Longmuir brothers in the group. more on this story

Gibson.com is an official news provider for the Day in Rock.

Preview and Purchase Bay City Rollers CDs

Bay City Rollers MP3 Downloads

.

Day In Rock

Pink Floyd's David Gilmour Reveals Song From First New Album In Nine Years- AC/DC Launching High Voltage Dive Bar At Stops On Power Up Tour- more

Slipknot To Play Rare Intimate Venue Show This Week- Deep Purple Announce New Album '=1'- Howard Jones, ABC And Haircut 100 Tour- more

Day In Country

Reba McEntire to Host 59th ACM Awards- Carly Pearce Celebrates Birthday By Surprising Fans with Early Album Release Date- more

Reviews

On the Blue: New Horizons Cruise Days 4 & 5: Starship Lands on the Pearl, Alan Parsons Takes It Home

On the Blue: New Horizons Cruise Days 2 & 3: Mid-Voyage Fun from Justin Hayward, Uriah Heep and a Few Monkeys!

Kandace Springs - Run Your Race

On the Blue: New Horizons Cruise Day 1: Marbin Gets the Fun Started

Hot In The City: Prog Band Tu-Ner Coming to Phoenix