On July 2, 2018, Alan Longmuir — founding member and original bassist of the Bay City Rollers — died at age 70 following a short illness. His passing marked the loss of one of the architects behind the band’s early formation, long before the tartan mania and international hysteria defined their name.
Longmuir was there at the beginning. In the mid-1960s, before the screaming crowds and chart-topping singles, he helped assemble the group that would eventually become one of Scotland’s most recognizable pop exports. As bassist, his role anchored the band’s early sound — steady, rhythmic, foundational.
When Rollermania erupted in the 1970s, the spotlight often centered on the frontman and the image: the scarves, the synchronized stage moves, the television appearances. But beneath that spectacle was a tight rhythm section that gave the hits their drive. Longmuir’s basslines may not have drawn headlines, but they carried the structure of songs that would echo through arenas worldwide.
He left the band at the height of its fame in 1976, stepping away during the peak of global frenzy. By then, the pressures of sudden international success — relentless touring, internal tensions, and the machinery of pop stardom — had intensified. His departure marked the end of the original lineup era.
In later years, Longmuir spoke candidly about the complexities of that period. Like many musicians from 1970s pop phenomena, he navigated questions about financial disputes, management contracts, and legacy rights. But regardless of the turbulence that followed, his role in building the band’s foundation remained intact.
When news of his death broke, tributes emphasized his quiet influence. Fellow members and fans remembered him not only as a performer, but as a co-creator of something that had once felt unstoppable. Without the original lineup — including Longmuir — there would have been no explosion to sustain.
His passing in 2018 also underscored the gradual closing of a chapter. As founding members age and pass on, the early DNA of the band becomes part of music history rather than living memory. Longmuir represented the pre-hysteria phase — the rehearsals, the small venues, the ambition before international branding.
While later incarnations of the Bay City Rollers would continue under various lineups, the original sound and spirit were tied to those formative years. Longmuir’s bass anchored that beginning.
On July 2, 2018, the band lost more than a former member. It lost one of its architects — the steady presence who helped construct the framework before the world rushed in.