When you’re a legendary singer-songwriter who has inspired the best and written one of music’s finest ever songs, you could probably spend you’re birthday anywhere, right?

Well Don McLean is spending his performing in Croydon. And it’s not even any old birthday – it’s the big 70.

He plays Fairfield Halls on Friday, October 2, as part of his The American Troubadour tour.

With 36 albums in 45 years, there’s much, much more to him than American Pie. In honour of his big birthday gig, here’s 13 things you may not have known about Don McLean.

  • The song Killing Me Softly was inspired by McLean’s performance of Empty Chairs at the Troubadou nightclub in LA.
  • American Pie was selected as the fifth greatest song of the 20th century in  a poll by the RIAA and the National Endowment for the Arts. It has been played more than three million times on the radio and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2003.
  • Despite claims to the contrary, he always played American Pie in concert.
  • It’s fair to guess what he’ll be wearing in Croydon – the only jeans he has ever worn are Levi’s 501 button fly, the only polo shirts Brooks Brothers. He only uses Martin guitars and has more than 40.
  • He has only lived in three homes his entire life.

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  • Johnny Cash wrote ‘I Wish I Could Yodel’ after hearing McLean sing ‘Lovesick Blues’ in Cash’ home.
  • McLean is the only Hudson River Troubadour.  Hired by the New York State Council for the Arts, in 1968 he sang in every Hudson river town.
  • He is a highly skilled western horseman.  He keeps and trains by himself three Appaloosa horses.
  • His song ‘Tapestry’ inspired the creation of the environmental action group “Greenpeace”.
  • Don McLean drew the second largest audience in British history, next to the Rolling Stones, with his 1975 concert in Hyde Park.
  • McLean’s songs have been performed by artists as diverse as Madonna, Fred Astaire, Chet Atkins, Weird Al Yankovick, Elvis Presley, Josh Groban and Coolio

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  • His composition ‘And I Love You So’ was the last song on the last album released during Elvis Presley’s life (Elvis In Concert).
  • Tupac Shakur was influenced by the writing and singing of Don McLean according to the movie Tupac: Resurrection (2003) and his favourite song was Vincent.

Don McLean is at Fairfield Halls in Croydon on October 2. Tickets cost £40 or £45. Go to Fairfield.co.uk or call 020 8688 9291.