Ian McLagan

Ian McLagan
Ron Baker (https://www.flickr.com/photos/kingsnake) · CC BY-SA 2.0 · source
Name	Ian McLagan
Birth date	12 May 1945
Birth place	Hounslow
Death date	3 December 2014
Death place	Austin, Texas
Occupation	Musician, songwriter, keyboardist
Years active	1964–2014
Associated acts	Small Faces, Faces, The Rolling Stones, Rod Stewart, The Who

Ian McLagan was an English keyboardist, songwriter, and session musician best known for his work with the British bands Small Faces and Faces. Renowned for his Hammond organ, Wurlitzer electric piano, and Mellotron textures, he contributed to landmark albums and tours alongside figures such as Rod Stewart, Ronnie Lane, Steve Marriott, and members of The Rolling Stones and The Who. His career spanned from the mid-1960s British rhythm and blues scene through later American roots-rock collaborations in Austin, Texas.

Early life and education

Born in Hounslow in 1945, McLagan grew up during the post‑war reconstruction era that shaped much of 1960s British popular culture alongside contemporaries like Mick Jagger and Eric Clapton. His early musical development took place amid the London club circuit that also nurtured acts such as The Beatles, The Kinks, and The Yardbirds. He received informal training on piano and organ, influenced by visiting American rhythm and blues records by artists like Ray Charles and Little Richard, and by British skiffle and rock figures including Lonnie Donegan and Cliff Richard. McLagan's apprenticeship occurred in local venues and studio sessions that connected him to managers and producers working with bands such as Decca Records and Immediate Records.

Career with Small Faces

McLagan joined Small Faces in 1965, replacing earlier keyboardists and becoming a full partner with singer-guitarist Steve Marriott, bassist Ronnie Lane, and drummer Kenney Jones. The group rose within the mod subculture alongside acts like The Who, The Kinks, and The Animals, and recorded for labels linked to industry figures such as Don Arden and producer Glyn Johns. McLagan's Hammond organ and Vox Continental parts are prominent on hit singles and albums that connected to the psychedelic and rhythm and blues movements exemplified by Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band-era experimentation and contemporaneous albums by The Beatles and Pink Floyd. Small Faces produced charting singles and conceptually adventurous work that placed them in festivals and television appearances alongside The Rolling Stones and Jeff Beck.

Career with Faces and work with Rod Stewart

After the dissolution of Small Faces in 1969 and the departure of Steve Marriott, McLagan continued with remaining members to form Faces, fronted by Rod Stewart with ex‑Small Faces drummer Kenney Jones and guitarist Ronnie Wood. Faces toured extensively and recorded albums that fused blues, soul, and rock in a tradition shared with The Rolling Stones, The Who, and Paul McCartney's post‑Beatles work. McLagan appears on Faces albums and hit singles, while also contributing keyboards to Rod Stewart's solo projects, intertwining his career with producers and session networks that included Mick Jagger, Jimmy Page, and recording studios frequented by artists on Warner Bros. Records and Mercury Records. Faces' live reputation placed them on bills with David Bowie, Elton John, and Fleetwood Mac.

Solo career and work with other artists

Following Faces' 1975 split, McLagan embarked on session work and solo recording while collaborating with an array of musicians such as Ronnie Wood, The Rolling Stones members, Keith Richards, Keith Moon of The Who, and American artists like Tom Petty. He relocated to the United States and became part of the Austin, Texas scene, working with roots and Americana musicians including Willie Nelson, Steve Earle, and Lucinda Williams. His solo albums and projects showcased a turn toward country‑rock and boogie traditions in common with Ry Cooder and George Harrison's slide‑guitar idioms. McLagan also guested on recordings by Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, and members of Jeff Beck Group, contributing organ and piano textures to sessions for labels associated with Island Records and Columbia Records.

Personal life and influences

McLagan's musical sensibility was shaped by American rhythm and blues and British rock luminaries such as Little Richard, Ray Charles, and Bo Diddley, alongside British peers like John Entwistle and Ian Dury. Offstage, he maintained friendships with musicians across generations—Ron Wood, Keith Richards, Rod Stewart, Steve Marriott, Ronnie Lane, and later Austin contemporaries like Willy Nelson and Jimmie Vaughan. His interests included vintage keyboards and studio technology used by artists from Hammond devotees to progressive producers like George Martin. He accepted songwriting collaborations and occasional production roles with indie labels and artists connected to scenes in London, Los Angeles, and Austin.

Health, death, and legacy

McLagan suffered health setbacks in later years and died in December 2014 in Austin, Texas at age 69, a loss noted by peers including Ronnie Wood, Rod Stewart, Mick Jagger, and commentators at outlets associated with music history such as institutions celebrating British Invasion legacies. His legacy endures through recordings with Small Faces and Faces that influenced rock, glam, and Britpop artists like Oasis, Blur, and The Libertines, and through session work that connected him to landmark recordings by The Rolling Stones, The Who, and Paul McCartney. Posthumous tributes, reissues, and festival tribute performances in venues linked to Royal Albert Hall and clubs in Austin and London have preserved his role as a bridge between 1960s British rhythm and blues and later Americana and rock traditions. Category:English keyboardists