Don McLean recorded his first album, Tapestry, in 1969, but the transition to international stardom began in 1971 with the release of American Pie. Thirty years later, “American Pie” was voted number five in a poll of the 365 “Songs of the Century” compiled by the Recording Industry Association of America. The second single, “Vincent,” hit number 12 in the US and was number one in the UK. The American Pie album remained at number one in the UK for seven weeks in 1972 and in the UK charts for 53 consecutive weeks. With all this success, Tapestry was reissued by United Artists; it includes two of Don’s most famous songs, “And I Love You So” and “Castles in the Air.” Playin’ Favourites became a hit in the UK in 1973 and included the classic, “Mountains of Mourne” and Buddy Holly’s “Everyday.” The early 1980s saw further chart successes with “Since I Don’t Have You,” a new recording of “Castles in the Air” and “It’s Just the Sun.” In 1987, the release of the country-based Love Tracks album gave rise to the hit singles “Love in My Heart,” “Can’t Blame the Wreck on the Train” and “Eventually.” In 2009, he released Addicted to Black and in 2010, he returned to Europe for a seven nation tour. In 2012, Don was awarded the BBC Folk Music Lifetime Achievement Award and performed at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Don has no plans to ease up on touring, and he continues to record.
