Ian McLagan, along with singer/guitarist
Steve Marriott, bass player
Ronnie Lane, and drummer
Kenney Jones, was a member of the British pop/rock band
the Small Faces, joining in November 1965, six months after the group's formation. Before then, he had been a member of
Boz & the Boz People, among other groups.
McLagan's first recorded work with
the Small Faces was their third single, "Sha La La La Lee," which peaked in the U.K. Top Ten in March 1966. A teenybopper success at first, the band eventually gained greater critical standing by adopting a more psychedelic style. Over the next two years, they scored further Top Ten British hits with "Hey Girl," "All or Nothing" (which hit number one), "My Mind's Eye," "Itchycoo Park" (which introduced them to American listeners, hitting the U.S. Top 40), "Tin Soldier," and "Lazy Sunday," and among their albums, Small Faces reached the Top Ten and
Ogden's Nut Gone Flake hit number one.
In March 1969,
Marriott quit to form
Humble Pie. Three months later,
McLagan,
Lane, and
Jones combined with singer
Rod Stewart and guitarist
Ron Wood, formerly of
the Jeff Beck Group, to form
the Faces. This group developed a reputation for its freewheeling performances, but it was overshadowed by
Stewart's solo career, which took off in the fall of 1971 with his hit "Maggie May." Nevertheless,
the Faces also had considerable commercial success, reaching the U.K. Top Ten with the singles "Stay with Me," "Cindy Incidentally," and "Pool Hall Richard"/"I Wish It Would Rain," and the albums
A Nod Is as Good as a Wink...to a Blind Horse,
Ooh La La (which hit number one), and
Coast to Coast: Overture and Beginners. But in 1975,
Stewart quit, while
Wood joined
the Rolling Stones, and
the Faces broke up.
Ian McLagan released his debut solo album,
Troublemaker, in 1979, followed by
Bump in the Night in 1980. Neither sold well, however, and he soon became a session and backup musician, notably working with
Jackson Browne,
Joe Cocker,
Bob Dylan,
Melissa Etheridge,
Bonnie Raitt,
the Rolling Stones, and
Bruce Springsteen, among many others. In 2000, he released his third album,
Best of British, credited to
Ian "Mac" McLagan & the Bump Band, and published his autobiography, All the Rage. The hard rocking
Rise and Shine appeared in 2004 and was followed by
Extra Live two years later.
Never Say Never appeared in late 2008.
–
William Ruhlmann, Rovi