Don McLean

For other people named Don McLean, see Don McLean (disambiguation).

Don McLean
McLean performing at Sage Gateshead in May 2018
McLean performing at Sage Gateshead in May 2018
Background information
Birth nameDonald McLean III
Born (1945-10-02) October 2, 1945 (age 79)
New Rochelle, New York, U.S.
Genres
OccupationSinger-songwriter
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
Years active1964–present
Labels
Websitedon-mclean.com

Donald McLean III /məˈkleɪn/ (born October 2, 1945)[1] is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, known to fans as the "American Troubadour" or "King of the Trail".[2][3] He is best known for his 1971 hit "American Pie", an eight-and-a-half-minute folk rock song that has been referred to as a "cultural touchstone".[4] His other hit singles include "Vincent", "Dreidel", "Castles in the Air", and "Wonderful Baby", as well as renditions of Roy Orbison's "Crying" and the Skyliners' "Since I Don't Have You".

McLean's song "And I Love You So" has been recorded by Elvis Presley, Perry Como, Helen Reddy, Glen Campbell, and others. In 2000, Madonna had a hit with a rendition of "American Pie".

In 2004, McLean was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In January 2018, BMI certified that "American Pie" had reached five million airplays and "Vincent" three million.[5]

  1. ^ Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (first ed.). Guinness Publishing. pp. 1578/9. ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
  2. ^ "Don McLean on his hit American Pie, touring and intending to die on stage". NewsChain. October 21, 2021.
  3. ^ "DON MCLEAN: 'American Pie is about the soul of a country and it is eternal'". www.newsletter.co.uk. November 19, 2021.
  4. ^ Perone, James E. (2016). Smash Hits: The 100 Songs That Defined America. ABC-CLIO. p. 230. ISBN 9781440834691.
  5. ^ musicmattersmagazine (January 24, 2018). "Don McLean becomes a BMI multi million-air!". Retrieved January 17, 2019.