Ian was born on January 25, 1938, aboard the Coronation Scot, an express passenger train launched in 1937 for the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, traveling from Glasgow to Southampton before heading to Ipswich. In 1947, he started singing in the local church choir and tuned in to Armed Forces Radio from Luxembourg, which played plenty of country and early rockabilly music. Every Saturday morning, he could be found at the Odeon Cinema, watching his idol, singing cowboy Roy Rogers, on the big screen. It was then that he decided he would become a cowboy singer himself.
At 15, he started working as a commercial artist but soon grew restless and joined the merchant navy, beginning as a kitchen hand peeling potatoes on old cargo ships. He eventually became a first-class waiter on P&O cruise ships, traveling the world aboard the Arcadia, Iberia, Himalaya, and Stratheden. While on these ships, he bought a guitar in Spain and formed his first group. They practiced every night in the mess, and during a stop in Sydney, Ian and The Bop Street Boys appeared on 2UW’s Australia’s Amateur Hour. They won with "Boppin’ The Blues" but were disqualified for not being Australian residents.
After returning to the UK, he packed his bags and set off for Australia as a first-class passenger on the Strathmore. He won his first talent competition at the Great Northern Hotel in Chatswood. When Johnny O’Keefe heard him sing "Honey Don’t" and "Move It," he booked him to appear on the radio show Rockville Junction and TV’s Six O’Clock Rock. O’Keefe wasn’t thrilled with his name, saying it sounded like a Scottish piper, and renamed him Adam. For the next four years, Ian B. MacLeod was shelved, and Adam appeared on Six O’Clock Rock, Bandstand, Teen Time, The Youth Show, Woody’s Teen Time, and Adelaide Tonight. As Adam, he became a teenage idol and was likely the first true rockabilly artist of that era. He toured extensively, performed at every teenage dance in town, and released a single, "Princess / Made To Be Loved," on the Teen label, backed by Johnny Devlin’s Devils.
With The Beatles' new music style emerging, Ian formed The Nashville Five and started over as an unknown singer with a band playing country and rockabilly – genres that weren’t very popular at the time. The group later added another member and became The Major Six, performing in clubs, pubs, and teenage dances. They were approached by David Gibson of Top Spot Records and recorded around 20 tracks on a Rola two-track tape machine in an old warehouse in Redfern. Shortly after finishing these recordings, Top Spot Records went out of business, and the tapes were thought to be lost. Twenty years later, while sorting through an old trunk at his sister’s house, Ian found a box of tapes labeled The Johnny Cash Show. Inside were the missing Top Spot sessions from 1964. The tapes were taken to Roy Cooper at Soundlab Studios and transferred to a new master tape. In April 1984, twelve tracks were released as 'Return To Six O’Clock Rock'.
During the late 1960s and into the 70s, Ian appeared on shows like the Ernie Sigley Show, IMT, The Bob Rogers Show, The Club Show, Travlin’ Out West, Reg Lindsay’s Country Homestead, and the Lee Conway Show. Club bookings started flooding in, and country tours became his routine. He also began performing on the Sitmar cruise line, introducing country music to cruise audiences until 1978. In 1975, he launched his own record label, Bunyip, signing notable artists such as Johnny Heap, Bill Newman, Jonnie Russell, Roland Storm, Christine Roberts, and Barry Stanton. In 1997, he rebranded the label as Pinewood, bringing more acts to its roster. He also owned the subsidiary label Rockabilly in which he recorded on.
Ian has had an impressive career, recording numerous albums and singles. His show, "A Tribute to Slim Whitman," showcased his country talent with a stunning collection of Whitman classics, highlighting his three-octave range and featuring hits from one of country music’s most beloved icons. From Mt. Gambier in South Australia to Townsville in Queensland, Ian has amazed audiences with his remarkable portrayals of Carl Perkins and Slim Whitman, consistently drawing packed crowds. In 1997 he was inducted into the Hands of Fame, Tamworth. In 2008, he was a key performer at the first Gympie Country Music Stampede (later renamed The Maryborough Stampede) and has become a regular feature, performing annually. A frequent and cherished visitor to New Zealand, Ian has toured both the North and South Islands multiple times, and in 2008 released his first DVD, filmed during a sold-out concert at Eltham Town Hall in Taranaki. In 2000, he was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame at the Wintersun Festival on Queensland’s Gold Coast and later that October, into the International Rockabilly Hall of Fame.
''Princess / Made To Be Loved'' [ As Adam With Johnny Devlin's Devils] 1960 Teen
''When You Say Love / Less Of Me'' 1974 Festival
''Goodbye Joanne / Sweet Fantasy'' 1974 Festival
''If We Don't Have Love / Goodbye, Joanne'' 1976 Bunyip
''Song For Jenny / Rockabilly Cowboy'' 1982 Bunyip
''Captain Moonlight / God Bless The Children'' 1982 Bunyip
''Help Me Dream'' [with Melinda Johnstone] / ''The Rockabilly Express'' [with The Rockin' Chevies] 1986 Rockabilly
''Be-Bop-A-Lula / I'm Goin' Home'' 1986 Rockabilly
''Forever Yours / Buddy, Gene, Eddie, Elvis, Rick And John'' 1990 Rockabilly
'Restless' 1972 Troubadour
'In Concert At Sea' 1975 Bunyip
'Hello Mary Lou' 1977 Bunyip
'Just For You' 1981 Bunyip
'The Rockabilly Country Special' 1982 Bunyip
'Return To Six O’Clock Rock' 1984 Rockabilly
'Thank You Mr Perkins' 1988 Rockabilly
'Jesus Even Loves Cowboys' 1995 Pinewood
'Blue Misty Mountains' 2006 Pinewood
'Classic Rockabilly' 2006 Rockabilly
Sings Slim Whitman 2006 Pinewood
To Sail On A Dream 2006
Ride For The Kids 2007
Blue Suede Shoes: 16 Great Rockabilly Hits.
'Easy Lovin' 2009 Pinewood
Cedar Creek Memories.2013
That’s How The Yodel Was Born.2016
References
IAN B MacLEOD; IAN B MacLEOD; HOF_1997_MACLEOD | eHive
