The Bay City Rollers' US debut album; Faulkner is at top right
Eric Faulkner (born Eric Francis Falconer, 21 October
1953, at
Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh, Scotland) is a guitarist, songwriter,
and singer,
best known as a member of the Scottish pop band, The
Bay City Rollers.
As a youngster Faulkner learned to play the viola and played for
a time in a youth orchestra. He is also adept at playing the violin, mandolin, bass and
keyboards.
Faulkner joined the Bay
City Rollers in 1972 as their guitarist
after a stint with the group KIP (previously known as Sugar). Faulkner
was a member of the Rollers for the duration of their existence into
the 1980s. He was a co-writer of many Rollers songs, including the UK
Singles Chart hits "Money Honey" and "Love Me Like I
Love You".
In 1976,
during the rollers heyday, Faulkner made headlines for an alleged parasuicide
attempt via sleeping pill overdose. The incident was turned into a
media opportunity by Rollers manager Tam Paton; Faulkner maintains the overdose
was accidental and not a suicide attempt.
In the 1990s,
he served as lead singer of a reformed version of the Bay City Rollers,
which for a time also featured his wife, singer Karen "Kass" Prosser.
He also toured with his own band, The Eric Faulkner Co-operative that
he founded with Kass.
More recently, Faulkner performed at Guilfest 2006
with 3 Men &
Black, featuring Pauline Black from The
Selecter. During the set he led a tribute to the late Syd
Barrett and sang "See Emily Play", as well as "Radio Heaven",
a recent song he penned, and, to the joy of the audience, a rendition
of the Bay City Rollers hit "Shang-a-Lang". Faulkner would continue to
perform with 3 Men & Black as a support act on a 2006 concert
tour.
Faulkner now tours as a solo act and will be opening at the
2007 Glastonbury Festival for Tony Benn at
the Left Field under the banner "Another World is Possible". On the
legal front, Eric and the other former Bay City Rollers continue to
battle for extensive unpaid royalties that they believe are owed them.
External links
Reference
Irwin Stambler, Encyclopedia of Pop, Rock &
Soul. 1974. St. Martin's Press, Inc. New York, N.Y. ISBN 0312025734
