Don McLean is the headline act at the Trowbridge Festival, Wiltshire this July.

Full details: http://www.trowbridgefestival.co.uk/index.htm

Police reports that they've uncovered Don McLean's original handwritten lyrics of American Pie in a house in Edinburgh have been hitting the headlines today but are wide of the mark:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/7225857.stm

The "discovery" was in fact the limited edition reproduction sold through his website a few years ago!

Don McLean was able to confirm to the Scottish Daily Record that the original lyrics are still safely in his ownership:

Singer Don McLean Rubbishes American Pie Lyrics Find In Edinburgh Flat

SONGWRITER Don McLean yesterday laughed off claims that his original lyrics for American Pie had been found in a drugs raid in Scotland.

Police said they had found rock memorabilia in a dealer's Edinburgh flat - including what they believed to be the first draft of the classic song.

But they had missed a vital clue - inside the picture frame was a plaque with the words "reproduction of handwritten lyrics 188/1000".

McLean, 62, said: "The original lyrics, on pages from a notebook, are in the library of Harvard University. I gave them to the university.

"This was something my record company put out for sale for a few hundred dollars.

"This was obviously 188 out of 1000 such sets."

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/entertainment/entertainment-news/2008/02/05/lyrics-find-is-just-pie-in-the-sky-86908-20309588/

The Australian promoter is, with the Sydney and Melbourne venues only, going to run a pre-sale offer.

Details are:

The Palms @ the Crown Casino Melbourne
Pre-sale starts: 9am 23rd Janaury
Pre-sale link: http://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/show.aspx?sh=DONMCLEA08

Opera Theatre, Sydney Opera House Sydney
Pre-sale starts: 9am 23rd Janaury
Pre-sale link: http://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/Priority/DonMcLean.aspx

After a period of some confusion, here are the final confirmed tour dates for Australia 2008:

MARCH 2008

7 - Cairns Brothers
8 - Rockhampton Great Western
10 - Tweed HDS Twin Towns
12 - Tamworth Tamworth Entertainment Centre
15 - Perth WCBR
17 - Melbourne Palms
18- Melbourne Palms
21 - Byron Bay ECBR
23 - Sydney Opera
24 - Sydney Opera
26 - Hobart Wrest Pl
27 - Brisbane Ent Ctr

Don will be doing a full media day this Thursday and next Tuesday to promote the tour.

The "Legendary Songs" CD/DVD will be released in Australia for this tour.

Joel Dorn, the Grammy-winning record producer who worked with Don McLean, Roberta Flack, Bette Midler, the Neville Brothers, Herbie Mann and numerous other jazz, R&B and pop musicians in a career spanning 40 years, has died at age 65 in New York of a heart attack.

Don McLean says:

"Joel Dorn was the best friend an artist or a song ever had. I am honoured to have worked with him and known him for over 30 years. Joel was a giver, not a taker and he was the only producer who really understood me and what I was trying to be as an artist. He will always be with me."

Don McLean

We have temporarily removed the dates pending further confirmations. Apologies for any inconvenience.

However we are delighted that Bob Gregg has agreed to be editor and webmaster of the Australia 2008 tour page which will open here on this site just as soon as everything is finalised.

Breaking news...Don McLean will be touring Australia, Japan and China in March 2008!

Also, more concerts in Canada are being lined up.

More details soon.

The new CD and DVD from EMI will be released on October 1st and is available for pre-order from amazon.co.uk

Currently featured are tracks from Rearview Mirror (2005) and Starry Starry Night (2000).

The Don McLean Music Player is located on the main home page at http://www.don-mclean.com/ (flash required).