Don McLean
Now a figurehead of American pop culture, Don McLean fell in love with music as a teenager growing up in New Rochelle, New York. He began reaching a far greater audience after receiving a grant from the NYS Council on the Arts and through fellow musicians like Pete Seeger, who helped him to sharpen his craft. The artist’s first studio album, Tapestry, received mixed reviews; however, his single “American Pie” gained mainstream recognition, staying #1 on the charts for 3 weeks and cementing McLean’s legacy as a mainstay. Since then, he’s released 19 albums, toured the several continents, and performed at iconic venues like Carnegie Hall in New York and Royal Albert Hall in London. Over the course of his career, he’s had 9 Top 100 hits, 5 Grammy nominations, and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002. We recently spoke with McLean about his biggest musical influences, tour memories, and more!
Growing up, who were some of your favorite artists?
My favorite artists were the great ones — Elvis, The Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly and many others.
Describe the first moment you realized you were famous.
After the Tapestry album came out, I was filling halls and girls were screaming. Later it got really crazy!
When asked to explain the significance of “American Pie,” you said that the meaning was "I will never have to work again.” — yet you’re still working. What’s kept you going all these years?
Yes, my touring has become a way of life. I love watching people and going places big and small. There is a richness to this way of life. I am a free radical in the body politic.
You’ve traveled around the world and performed to millions of your fans. Can you talk about one of your favorite memories from touring?
I have done thousands of performances all over the world. There are too many moments to single out just one. Singing at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial to 600k people as the year 2000 began comes to mind.
What are the best and worst things about the music industry?
The best thing is that the sky is the limit. You cannot imagine how much success you might have, anything can happen. You have no boss. The worst is the stealing and negative publicity. People love to hurt famous artists unfortunately.
What is the one piece of advice that you would give to an up and coming musician?
When writing songs, take Lester Flatts’s advice and “don’t copy too close!”. When doing business, have a good lawyer explain what you’re getting into.
What’s the most valuable piece of advice you’ve been given?
Pete Seeger gave me great advice. He said, “never read anything they say about you”.
Botanical Gardens, your latest album, debuted in 2018. Are there any other albums or projects in the works?
There will be a new album called, Still Playin’ Favorites, along with a box set of the recently uploaded eleven albums on Warner Bro Records later this year!
