It’s impossible to think about Don McLean without thinking of American Pie. With the song, the American folk singer became a global celebrity and helped define a musical era. Many of the song’s words are still a mystery to this day.
McLean is currently leading a quiet life. The singer, who has been married twice, has started a new relationship in recent years.
Paris Dylan, his lover, is 48 years his junior! So how did they first connect? And how does she appear?
Don McLean was born in New Rochelle, New York, on October 2, 1945. The youngster showed a passion for music from a very young age and enjoyed listening to both his father’s records and the radio.
McLean experienced various health issues as a youngster. He missed a lot of school due to his asthma, thus music became his means of survival.
Don acquired his first guitar when he was a teenager, and thanks to his sister, he was given access to lessons at the House of Music in his native New Rochelle.
Don’s health improved as a result of his newfound singing career and the numerous hours he spent at the pool. His asthma began to get better as he began to have more control over his breathing.
In the great song Crying, where he sings lengthy sections of the song without actually taking a breath, you can hear the type of breath control he achieved.
When Don McLean was 15, his father’s death was a terrible sorrow. It took its toll on Don.
He admitted to The Guardian, “I cried for two years.” “I was at fault,”
By exposing him to the best music and providing him with significant influences, his father had given him his early musical training. McLean made it somewhat of a goal to honor his father by pursuing a musical career.
Another significant occasion that would later influence Don McLean’s life had already happened at the time his father passed away.
Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. “the Big Bopper” Richardson perished in a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa, in 1959, when Don McLean was only 13 years old.
Don loved Buddy Holly and believed that the day the music died when he read about the horrible accident in the papers. That sentiment might be familiar to you from the bridge of American Pie.
The song’s introduction was born whole, according to McLean. “I penned it in memory of the day I read the newspaper and the item announcing the death of my favorite artist. That’s what got me going.
Let’s first look at how Don McLean came to be in that position before we return to how he actually penned American Pie.
At age 16, he participated in his first studio session and was given the opportunity to join the Rooftop Singers. McLean, though, believed he was already more of a troubadour at that point.
He decided to attend Villanova University for his studies rather than join the band. He only stayed in school for four months before quitting and starting an apprenticeship with Harold Leventhal Management.
Don McLean spent six years perfecting his guitar skills before beginning to perform in a number of New York City venues, as well as at the Newport Folk Festival and in Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia.
He later performed at the storied Troubadour in Los Angeles and even had a tour that included over 30 east coast colleges.
He also obtained a Bachelor of Business Administration from Iona College in 1968 at the same time, but he chose to decline multiple scholarships offered by Columbia Graduate School.
Instead, he had made the decision that music was his life’s passion, and he started performing regularly at Caffe Lena in New York City.
Don McLean recorded his debut album, Tapestry, in California a year later, in 1969. Although And I Love You So was a little smash, it didn’t immediately enjoy great commercial success.
The singer’s second album, which was released in 1971, came two years later and irrevocably altered his life.
Don McLean recorded the song “American Pie,” which served as the album’s title, on May 26, 1971. The emotional song Vincent, which is about the life of the misunderstood painter Vincent Van Gogh, as well as the songs Till Tomorrow and Crossroads, were also on the album.
McLean described the idea behind American Pie as “I was mindful of the fact that I was trying to construct a rock’n’roll dream sequence.”
However, it was much more than rock and roll. It dealt with an America that was puncturing at the seams.
“I wanted to write a song that was uniquely American, unlike This Land Is Your Land or America The Beautiful. Starting with Buddy Holly, I wanted to connect with the aspects of America that meant the most to me. I have to tell you that nobody cared about Buddy when I created this song.
The lyrics to the song “American Pie” are cryptic and full of questions. It’s still unclear what it’s actually about today.
Fans still spend hours trying to solve the enigma, although it is likely only one of the factors contributing to the song’s immense popularity. It is true that not all lyrics have to mean the same thing. The fact that the songs can elicit feelings we weren’t aware we had is what important; they may have a different meaning for each and every listener.
McLean added characters and other portions as he worked on the song, transforming it into a masterpiece.
“Sometime later, I created the title and penned the chorus. It is apple pie, specifically pie pieces. We frequently discuss the economic pie, and pie also has sexual connotations, he said.
“Then one day, in a fit of inspiration, I just wrote the rest of the song, connecting musical imagery with this narrative about America.”
Don McLean’s popularity increased as a result of American Pie, which continued to have a life of its own. The song peaked at No. 1 on the US charts, establishing his instant celebrity.
American Pie not only elevated McLean’s musical career, but it also provided him the ability to share the remainder of his lesser-known songs with the world.
It is impossible to dispute the song’s popularity or impact on musical history. In 2015, the original handwritten lyrics brought $1.2 million. It rose to the third-highest price for an American literary manuscript at the time.
Every time “American Pie” has been performed, my personal skill as a singer and songwriter has been reflected in the song’s history and biography. And because of its success, I’ve been able to promote my other songs,” said Don McLean.
“As a result, my songs like If We Try, Crossroads, Winterwood, Castles in the Air, Wonderful Baby, and Dreidel became well-known. Of course, American Pie was much more popular than any of those songs, but many of my other songs are still well-known. Therefore, that was always a nice side effect of American Pie’s success.
McLean continued to write songs and successfully published several albums. He rose to prominence as a concert draw after the “madness” surrounding American Pie. For instance, in 1975, 85,000 people showed up to his concert in London’s Hyde Park.
McLean wouldn’t alter his songs in a way that would be more voice-friendly, despite the fact that his voice isn’t as powerful as it once was.
“I make an effort to respect each music. I never just blather through it or seem like the song is dragging me along, he remarked. “Like I believe Elvis did toward the end of his life, he disrespected the songs that made him famous and then sang ones he never ought to have done.”
In terms of his live performances, Don McLean started to disappear in the 2000s. He chose to instead concentrate on other things because his personal life was somewhat chaotic.
In 1969, McLean wed Carol Sauvion, and the couple had a daughter named Jackie. But three years later, the couple decided to get divorced.
The singer was wed to Patrisha Shnier from 1987 till 2016. They welcomed Wyatt McLean as a son together.
However, he had a difficult marriage to Patrishia and a strained relationship with his daughter. Patrishia, Don’s ex-wife, was once said to as the “worst person” he had ever encountered. McLean made a financial cutoff announcement to his daughter some months ago.
He said to the Daily Mail, “I stopped supporting my daughter last year.” “I have a son (Wyatt), you know, who grew up in the same manner, who thinks I’m a terrific father, and who has none of these concerns,” the speaker said. But I warned my daughter that I would take away her inheritance if she spoke badly of me.
When Jackie told the Rolling Stone that she grew up in a “continuous state of anxiety,” their relationship abruptly ended in June.
Don then instructed her to return any money he may have given her.
He asserted that “she’s been automatically disinherited” and that “nearly a $3 million trust money went down the drain.” “I’ve always provided for my daughter; she gets $30,000, $40,000, or $50,000 year, which is double what her husband makes. The grandkids deserved to have anything they desired, therefore I made sure of it.
Don began dating a new woman soon after divorcing his second wife. Paris Dylan, a model, was 22 years old at the time; Don was 48 years older.
The Sun claims that in the beginning of 2016, Paris Dylan was employed to handle Don McLean’s social media accounts. They dated for only a few months before making their relationship official.
They have been dating for the past five years. Dylan, 27, is, according to McLean, the most admirable person he has ever met.
“Love is the most valuable possession you can have. Someone must be loved by you. What a weight hatred is. The entire thing is a waste of time. I adore both my kids and my partner. She drives me nuts,” he admitted. “When I sing a lot of my songs, I often think about her. But whenever I sing “And I Love You So,” I particularly think of her.
We don’t intend to ever stop our relationship, he continued, and I’m honored to have her as a girlfriend and a partner. As long as we can, we’ll stick together and ride this pony.
Don and Dylan can be seen exploring the globe together on Instagram, dining at upscale restaurants, and visiting tourist spots.
McLean remarked, “I have a wonderful girlfriend and she travels everywhere with me. “We visited 85 cities the previous year, and we want to visit about 85 this year.
“She’s really helpful, and we travel everywhere together. She takes care of all I need, and our relationship is excellent.
Dylan Paris is a native of Riverside, California, and it appears that she has a sizable following. She has more than 500,000 followers on Instagram and 480,000 on TikTok. Dylan identifies as a “60s music enthusiast” on her Facebook profile and frequently posts images of herself with her ponies.
Dylan Paris hailed her loving lover Don on Instagram when he was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, writing: “Proud is an understatement… Donny is deserving of everything.
Paris, his 27-year-old partner of five years, was a part of McLean’s long-term strategy, he said.
Don has had a really interesting life lately. The renowned musician told the Times that he intends to retire to his farm in Maine and stop communicating with others.
Paris will be with me, he assured her. I’ll also have horses. I enjoy creatures. In many ways, I enjoy them a lot better than people.
