Tam Paton

Thomas Dougal "Tam" Paton (5 August 1938 – 8 April 2009) was a pop group manager, most notably of the Scottish boy band the Bay City Rollers.

Biography

Born in Prestonpans, Scotland, he was the son of a potato merchant.[1] Paton initially drove a truck to aid the Bay City Rollers financially. He guided the band through to their period of success during the mid-1970s, nurturing their image of being the "boys next door". He was responsible for beginning the myth that the band members preferred drinking milk to alcohol, in order to cultivate this clean, innocent image. However, vocalist Les McKeown later said Paton introduced the band members to drugs. "When we got a wee bit tired, he'd give us amphetamines," McKeown recalled in 2005. "He'd keep us awake with speed, black bombers. You end up almost showing off to each other what stupid drugs you've taken."[1]

In 1979, Paton was fired as manager, and subsequently developed a multi-million pound real estate business based in Edinburgh, Scotland.

In the late 1970s Paton managed the band Rosetta Stone, and had a romantic relationship with the guitarist Paul Lerwill, who later changed his name to Gregory Gray.[2]

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.[3] Paton was only convicted because the age of consent was higher for gay sex than for straight sex (for which the age of consent was 16). The disparity remained in place until 2001.[4]

In later years, Paton suffered from 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.[5] In April 2004, Paton was convicted of supplying cannabis and fined £200,000.[6] In 2003, he was accused of trying to rape the Bay City Rollers guitarist, Pat McGlynn, in a hotel room in 1977.[7] The police decided there was insufficient evidence for a prosecution.[8]

Paton died of a suspected heart attack aged 70 at his Edinburgh home on 8 April 2009.[9] At the time of his death he weighed 25 stone.[8] Paton was openly gay.[10]

References
  1. Sweeting, Adam (10 April 2009). "Tam Paton". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
  2. Clark, Stuart (1 May 2019) Gregory Gray, AKA Mary Cigarettes has died in Hot Press. Retrieved 2 June 2019
  3. Dick, Sandra (26 January 2007), "Welcome to Tam Paton's weird world", The Scotsman, Edinburgh, retrieved 6 August 2017
  4. Stonewall Youth. Legal Equality on Young Stonewall website. Retrieved 10 June 2019
  5. "Rollers boss sex inquiry dropped", BBC, 10 March 2003, retrieved 27 November 2007
  6. "Ex-Rollers boss fined £200,000", BBC, 30 April 2004, retrieved 27 November 2007
  7. Edward, Rhiannon (22 August 2007), "Former Rollers manager Paton cleared of rape claim", The Scotsman, Edinburgh, retrieved 10 April 2009
  8. "Tam Paton bedroom bulldozed after 'seedy' history". Edinburghnews.scotsman.com. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
  9. "Ex-Bay City Rollers boss Tam Paton found dead in bath". News.scotsman.com. 10 April 2009. Retrieved 2 November 2013.
  10. "Ex-Rollers manager is cleared on rape claims". The Scotsman. 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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