Tam Paton

Thomas Dougal "Tam" Paton (5 August 1938 – 8 April 2009), was the manager and primary spokesman during the 1970s of the Scottish band the Bay City Rollers.

Biography

Born in Prestonpans, Scotland, he was the son of a potato merchant. Paton drove a truck to initially aid the group financially. He guided the band through to their peak during the mid-1970s, nurturing the band's image to be that of the "boys next door". He was responsible for starting a myth that the band members preferred drinking milk to alcohol, in order to cultivate this clean, innocent image.

In 1979, Paton was fired as manager, and went on to develop a multi-million pound real estate business based in Edinburgh, Scotland.

In 1982, he was convicted of gross indecency with two teenage boys aged 16 and 17, below the then-legal age of consent of 21, and served one year of a three-year prison sentence.[1]

In later years, Paton suffered poor health including two heart attacks and a stroke. He was arrested on child sexual abuse charges in January 2003, but was later cleared of all allegations.[2] In April 2004, Paton was convicted of supplying cannabis and fined £200,000.[3] In 2003, he was accused of trying to rape the band's guitarist, Pat McGlynn, in a hotel room in 1977.[4] The police decided there was insufficient evidence to prosecute.[5]

Paton died of a suspected heart attack aged 70 at his Edinburgh home on 8 April 2009.[6] At the time of his death he weighed 25 stone.[5] Paton was openly gay.[7]

References

  1. ↑ Dick, Sandra (26 January 2007), "Welcome to Tam Paton's weird world", The Scotsman, Edinburgh, retrieved 6 August 2017
  2. ↑ "Rollers boss sex inquiry dropped", BBC, 10 March 2003, retrieved 27 November 2007
  3. ↑ "Ex-Rollers boss fined £200,000", BBC, 30 April 2004, retrieved 27 November 2007
  4. ↑ Edward, Rhiannon (22 August 2007), "Former Rollers manager Paton cleared of rape claim", The Scotsman, Edinburgh, retrieved 10 April 2009
  5. 1 2 "Tam Paton bedroom bulldozed after 'seedy' history". Edinburghnews.scotsman.com. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
  6. ↑ "Ex-Bay City Rollers boss Tam Paton found dead in bath". News.scotsman.com. 10 April 2009. Retrieved 2 November 2013.
  7. ↑ "Ex-Rollers manager is cleared on rape claims". News.scotsman.com. 21 August 2007. Retrieved 2 November 2013.

Bibliography

  • Stambler, Irwin. Encyclopedia of Pop, Rock & Soul. 1974. St. Martin's Press, Inc. New York ISBN 0-312-25025-8.
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