BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Tam Paton: The man behind Rollermania (original) (raw)

Former Bay City Rollers manager Tam Paton has been arrested in connection with claims of sexual abuse of young boys. BBC News Online looks at the pop impresario's career.

For 11 years, Tam Paton managed the tartan-clad, scarf-swinging Bay City Rollers whose audiences in the 1970s usually consisted of screaming masses of teenage girls.

"Rollermania" attracted a worldwide following and sold 70 million records, among them hits such as Shang-A-Lang, All Of Me Loves All Of You and Bye Bye Baby.

The band's line-up, under Paton, changed a number of times but mainly featured Stuart "Woody" Wood, Eric Faulkner, Les McKeown and brothers Derek and Alan Longmuir.

Rollermania took the world by tartan storm

In 1975 the band got their own TV show on Granada Television - Shangalang - and this helped to seal their popularity.

Paton nurtured the image of the boys next door and started the myth that the members preferred drinking milkshakes to alcohol.

But the success of the band was not to last.

There were arguments and rows over touring and the band finally went their separate ways and Paton was sacked in 1979.

Property mogul

Paton, who has had two heart attacks, went on to become a property developer in his native Edinburgh, where he lives in a mansion in the Gogarburn area.

He also owns a villa in Spain.

Last month he told the Sunday Mail in Scotland he was worth more than �5m.

In 2001, Paton won a 25-year fight for �500,000 of unpaid royalties from his time with the band.

Last month he told the Sunday Mail he had drawn up his will and was splitting his estate between animal and children's charities.

He told the paper: "I love animals and they'll benefit from my will as well as the children's charity and cancer research.

"I certainly won't leave my money to the Rollers.

"I have two bull terriers and two Rottweilers - they are my children."