Pop star. Born in Broomhouse (Edinburgh), the youngest of four sons of an Irish tailor, McKeown was educated at Forrester High School. He left school and fifteen and worked in a paper-mill while furthering his musical career. He formed the locally-popular rock band Threshold but was then asked to join the boy-band the Bay City Rollers with Alan Longmuir (1948 - 2018) and Derek Longmuir (b. 1955). This band enjoyed remarkable success in the mid-1970s with McKeown as their lead singer. Hits like Bye Bye Baby, Shang-a-Lang and Summerlove Sensation brought global success. McKeown's good looks helped bring a massive teenage following. McKeown was suffered from drug and alcohol addiction, brought on by the pressures of success. He left the band in 1978 at the height of its popularity, although came back for a reunion tour in 2015. His autobiography Shang-a-Lang: Life as an International Pop Idol was published in 2003. He died at his home in London.
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