Age, Biography and Wiki

Les McKeown (Leslie Richard McKeown) was born on 12 November, 1955 in Edinburgh, Scotland, is a Scottish pop singer (1955–2021). Discover Les McKeown's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. Learn How rich is he in this year and how he spends money? Also learn how he earned most of networth at the age of 66 years old?

Popular As Leslie Richard McKeown
Occupation Singer
Age 66 years old
Zodiac Sign Scorpio
Born 12 November, 1955
Birthday 12 November
Birthplace Edinburgh, Scotland
Date of death 2021
Died Place London, England
Nationality United Kingdom

We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 12 November. He is a member of famous Singer with the age 66 years old group.

Les McKeown Height, Weight & Measurements

At 66 years old, Les McKeown height not available right now. We will update Les McKeown's Height, weight, Body Measurements, Eye Color, Hair Color, Shoe & Dress size soon as possible.

Physical Status
Height Not Available
Weight Not Available
Body Measurements Not Available
Eye Color Not Available
Hair Color Not Available

Who Is Les McKeown's Wife?

His wife is Peko Keiko (m. 1983)

Family
Parents Not Available
Wife Peko Keiko (m. 1983)
Sibling Not Available
Children Jubei

Les McKeown Net Worth

His net worth has been growing significantly in 2023-2024. So, how much is Les McKeown worth at the age of 66 years old? Les McKeown’s income source is mostly from being a successful Singer. He is from United Kingdom. We have estimated Les McKeown's net worth, money, salary, income, and assets.

Net Worth in 2024 $1 Million - $5 Million
Salary in 2024 Under Review
Net Worth in 2023 Pending
Salary in 2023 Under Review
House Not Available
Cars Not Available
Source of Income Singer

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Timeline

1955

Leslie Richard McKeown (12 November 195520 April 2021) was a Scottish singer.

McKeown was born in Broomhouse, a suburb close to the south-western city limit of Edinburgh, on 12 November 1955.

His father, Francis, worked as a tailor and was deaf; his mother, Florence (née Close), was a seamstress who moved to Scotland after getting married.

Both emigrated to the United Kingdom from Ireland.

The family communicated with his father via hand signals.

McKeown was raised in a city tenement block, attended Broomhouse Primary School, then nearby Forrester High School, and volunteered in the Boys' Brigade.

He left school at 15 and became a member of the band Threshold.

He was employed at a paper mill in between the group's gigs, which earned them £20 per show.

1970

He was the lead vocalist of the pop rock band Bay City Rollers during their most successful period in the 1970s.

1973

McKeown joined the Bay City Rollers in November 1973, replacing founding lead singer Gordon "Nobby" Clark.

He was initially reluctant to join the group, later stating in his memoir that it was not "high on my list of bands I'd have wanted to join".

The band only achieved national, and then international, popularity after McKeown joined.

That said, the locally well-known band, with a recording contract with a minor label, was already established and the newly recruited singer, in his autobiography, maintains that there always was a chasm between him and the rest of the band, despite the fact they were of, more or less, the same age and shared similar backgrounds.

The rest of the band members were all from Craigmillar/Liberton, suburbs of similar character to Broomhouse, but near to the southern border of the city, and as the subtitle of his autobiography suggests, McKeown had no pretension to be a rock musician/artist unlike some members of the band.

His arrival also coincided with an overhaul of the group's image introducing half-mast trousers, platform shoes and tartan.

1974

They had four songs in the Top 10 in 1974 ("Remember", "Summerlove Sensation", "All of Me Loves All of You", and "Shang-a-Lang" which featured McKeown as the frontman).

This was followed by 2 UK number ones ("Bye Bye Baby", "Give a Little Love") and a U.S. number one ("Saturday Night", which was re-recorded with McKeown as the lead vocalist) a year later.

Their manager Tam Paton, who was concerned about the inadequacy of the band's musical capabilities, apart from McKeown's singing talent and good looks, chose songs for them and hired song writers and competent studio musicians for the recordings.

As a result, often in the Bay City Rollers' recordings, McKeown's vocals were the only musical contributions from the band.

McKeown later wrote that he was raped by Paton and that Paton provided him with Mandrax and amphetamines to help him cope with the pressures of touring.

1975

McKeown killed an elderly neighbour in 1975 as a result of reckless driving, for which he was banned from driving for one year and fined £100.

He later revealed how the guilt he felt over the event played a key role in his alcoholism.

1978

McKeown left the group in 1978 as its popularity began to decline.

1979

He established the pop band Egotrip and released a solo album in 1979 titled All Washed Up, which was successful in Japan.

He went on to release eight more solo albums.

1983

McKeown married Peko Keiko, a native of Japan, in 1983.

They had a son.

2003

In his autobiography, Shang-a-Lang: Life as an International Pop Idol (2003), he admits he had a happy childhood in Broomhouse, but Edinburgh, in his view a drab place to live, became a place to escape from.

Among the core members of the band, McKeown was the only one, after the band ran its course, who did not go back to live in Scotland.

2008

In 2008, McKeown stayed at a treatment facility in California for four months, successfully overcoming his addiction to alcohol.

One year later, in the Living TV show Rehab, covering celebrities fighting addiction, he disclosed that he was a "secret bisexual" and admitted being unfaithful to his wife with both men and women.

2015

He rejoined the Bay City Rollers in 2015 for a series of reunion shows, the first of which, at Glasgow's Barrowlands, sold out in three minutes.

He was fined and banned from driving for 18 months after another incident in 2015 when driving while drunk.

McKeown died on 20 April 2021, at the age of 65, after going into cardiac arrest at his home in London.

A coroner's report concluded that his death was from "a combination of natural causes"; he had cardiovascular disease and hypertension, at least partially caused by years of drug and alcohol abuse.

2016

He released his final album, The Lost Songs, in 2016.