Throughout his career, Ian Mitchell has brought joy and happiness to untold
millions. His musical and show business achievements are astounding. Ian was
thrust into stardom at the age of 17 as vocalist and guitarist of 1970's musical
phenomena known as the BAY CITY ROLLERS. Nothing like the Rollers had emerged since the Beatles, and nothing has emerged like them since. The level
of hysteria aroused in their fans was incredible. Worldwide, Bay City
Rollers concerts routinely became riots. According to England's New Musical Express,
the Rollers were a "cult of vast proportions."
Something like one in four youths was a Bay City Rollers fan and they sold records by the millions. The Bay City Rollers are still one of Arista Records
biggest selling artists, with 13 gold singles to their credit. In 1975, Arista president Clive Davis used his intuition and selected an album cut he thought
would sell in America. The Rollers and Arista were aided with top-notch
promotion. The quintet appeared live on the premier of ABC- TV's "Saturday Night Live With Howard Cosell." Davis' intuition was correct. The album cut,
"Saturday Night", was their first U.S. chart topper. More hits followed:
"I Only
Want To Be With You", "Rock n' Roll Love Letter", "The Way I Feel Tonight", "Money Honey", and "You Made Me Believe In Magic" were all Top 40 smashes.
The Bay City Rollers soon had die hard tartan-clad devotees in the U.S. just like
they did in the rest of the world. They performed on all the major television
programs of the day, and were even hosts of their own NBC-TV series, which is
now being shown in syndication. The Rollers appeared on the cover of 16 Magazine more times than any other artist or celebrity. British rocker Nick Lowe
wrote and recorded a catchy tune called "Rollers Show," which expressed the
happiness in anticipation of a Bay City Rollers concert. Maddening Rollermania
became the rule wherever the band appeared. Teenage girls routinely screamed
until they fainted at Rollers' concerts.
The Bay City Rollers lineup in 2009 includes original Roller, Ian Mitchell, plus
guitarist Johnny Roxx and lead vocalist Eric Crabb. They
continue to make new fans with their non-stop energy and enthusiastic performances of the hits old
and new. Maintaining their worldwide following of original Bay City Roller fans,
and still receiving hundreds of fan mail letters daily.
Band line up:
Ian Mitchell - Rhythm Guitar, Vocals
Eric Crabb - Lead Vocals
Johnny Roxx - Lead Guitar, Vocals
Joe Orlando - Bass, Vocals
Carlo Driggs - Percussion, Vocals
Johnny Lust - Drums, Vocals
Belle Liao - Keyboards, Vocals
