While at Villanova University in 1963 (he stayed for just four months), Don met and became friends with Jim Croce and President Kennedy was assassinated.Īfter leaving Villanova, Don was managed by Harold Leventhal Management.
However, even at that time, Don saw himself as a troubadour and turned down the offer. Through Erik Darling, Don recorded his first studio sessions with Lisa Kindred and was invited to join a group with Darling and the other members of the Rooftop Singers. Don and Erik became friends and Don visited his apartment in New York. After getting his home number from the telephone directory, Don phoned Fred Hellerman and later, Erik Darling.
Don was determined to become a professional musician and singer and, as a 16-year-old, he was already making contacts in the business. Don was just 15 years old.īy this time, Don's musical focus was on folk music thanks, in part, to The Weavers landmark 1955 recording "Live at Carnegie Hall". Sadly, a few months later his father died. In 1961, Don took his only vacation with his father – a trip to Washington D.C. The exercise also meant his asthma improved. These lessons combined with running, walking, and swimming, helped Don to develop breath control, which would later allow him to sing long, continuous phrases, in songs such as “Crying”, without taking a breath. He would often perform shows for family and friends.Īs a teenager, he purchased his first guitar (a Harmony F Hole with a sunburst finish) from the House of Music in New Rochelle and took voice lessons paid for by his sister.
Childhood asthma meant that Don missed long periods of school and while he slipped back in his studies, his love of music was allowed to flourish. By the age of five he had developed an interest in all forms of music and would spend hours listening to the radio and records that were around the house. Don McLean was born on October 2, 1945, in New Rochelle, New York, to Elizabeth and Donald McLean.
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