Don McLean will be playing a one-off festival headline set (Picture: Getty)
Don McLean has promised his UK fans at least one final show as the American singer-songwriter prepares to headline one of the UK’s fastest-growing festivals.
The American Pie singer, 78, made his name in the early 1970s with a run of successful singles which also included UK number one Vincent in 1972.
He returned to the charts years later with Crying, a cover of the Roy Orbison song, which went to number one in 1980 and proved to be his last major hit – Don has continued recording new music ever since.
Now, with his career winding down, Don has promised UK fans at least one more visit as he prepares to play Leicester’s Long Road festival in August.
In a statement, Don said he was ‘delighted’ to play the festival, which pays tribute to country music and Americana – it sold out in 2023 after only opening in 2018.
Don hit the big time back in the early 1970s with American Pie (Picture: Michael Ochs Archives)
He shared: ‘I am delighted to return to England. Since I have decided to stop doing bus tours of distant destinations, I will still return for special performances. I love England and look forward to seeing my audience again.’
Don last toured the UK in 2022 but has decided to stop doing regular tours, instead choosing to spend his time on special performances at specific festivals.
In recent months, Don has performed sporadically in different US states, including two dates in Hawaii last December and a one-off show in Arizona in February.
American Pie held the record for longest number one song for 50 years (Picture: Getty)
The Long Road Festival has been running since 2018 (Picture: Long Road Festival)
The Long Road will be held at Stanford Hall in Leicestershire, which lies almost 20 miles east of Coventry and just over 15 miles south of Leicester.
In addition to Don, the festival’s organisers have said that the line-up this year aims to celebrate the ‘versatility of the [country music] and its diverse range of sound and styles’.
Headlining alongside Don is Russell Dickerson, who is one of the biggest-selling country artists of recent years, scoring huge hits on the US country charts.
Also on the line-up are the likes of Paula Cole, who had brief UK success in the 1990s with her album This Fire, as well as Scott Matthews, a folk musician from Wolverhampton.
In the past, headline acts have included Billy Bragg, American Idol winner Carrie Underwood, and Blackberry Smoke, who scored top 10 albums in the UK in recent years.
Don first began writing songs as a teenager but had to wait until he was midway through his 20s before he landed his first major hit, American Pie, which is currently certified double platinum in the UK after selling over one million copies.
For almost 50 years American Pie, at eight minutes 42 seconds in length, held the record for being the longest song to ever top the American charts – until Taylor Swift’s 10-minute version of All Too Well beat it in 2021.
Last year proved to be a successful one for the Long Road festival, with tickets selling out completely, and in 2024 they’ve been granted permission to expand the capacity.
This year the festival will take place over the August Bank Holiday weekend, from Friday, August 23 to Sunday, August 25.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.