Don McLean has become synonymous with his huge hit “American Pie”, the song everybody knows but nobody can sing all the words to. But McLean’s career spans several decades, and had spawned more than that one hit. Even as a child he played guitar and wrote songs, and by the time he was 16 he was making efforts to break into the music business.

He released his first album in 1969. Tapestry was moderately successful commercially and critically, but the follow-up album, American Pie (1972), was destined to become his seminal recording. Both the title track and “Vincent” became hits and the album went to the top of the charts in both the UK and the US. A further 18 albums have followed, including three Christmas albums, two country-flavoured albums and an album for children.

His music has been re-interpreted by several other musicians, including Madonna’s updated version of “American Pie” and George Michael’s rendition of “The Grave”, sung in protest against the Iraq war. In 2002 McLean was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, and in 2004 he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.