Neil Henderson, the Scottish guitarist who played with the Bay City Rollers during the band’s formative years, has died at 73.
Henderson’s death was announced by Middle of the Road, another Scottish pop group he later joined. In a statement on Facebook, the band remembered him as its “original lead guitarist, songwriter and friend,” adding that he had been ill for some time and had been working to recover from a stroke suffered several years ago. The group offered its condolences to Henderson’s daughters, Heather and Shona, along with his family and friends.
Henderson joined the Bay City Rollers in 1970, when the group was still establishing itself in Scotland. He played on the band’s 1971 single “Keep On Dancing,” which reached number nine on the U.K. singles chart and gave the Rollers their first Top 10 hit.
He left the group the following year, reportedly after disagreements over its musical direction. His departure came well before the Bay City Rollers’ international breakthrough in the mid-1970s, when the band became one of the era’s biggest pop acts with songs including “Saturday Night” and “Money Honey.”
Henderson subsequently joined Middle of the Road, which was enjoying considerable success in Europe at the time. The group established itself as the leaders of Europop in the years before ABBA’s rise, selling more than five million records, including the international hits “Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep,” “Tweedle Dee, Tweedle Dum” and “Soley Soley.” As a guitarist and songwriter for the group, Henderson contributed to songs such as “Rockin’ Soul” and “Everybody Loves a Winner.”
Henderson’s death also prompted a tribute from Stuart “Woody” Wood, the guitarist who played with the Bay City Rollers during their period of greatest commercial success. Wood said he had never met Henderson personally but noted that the band’s late bass guitarist Alan Longmuir had spoken highly of him.
“Just heard the very sad news about Neil Henderson, one of the original Bay City Rollers,” Wood wrote. “Though I never met him personally Alan spoke very highly of him. Sincere condolences to all his family and friends.”
Middle of the Road concluded its tribute by remembering Henderson’s lasting connection to the musicians he had worked alongside: “His memory will live on with all who had the pleasure of sharing the stage with him as will his music.”
