Don Mclean - American Pie

American Pie is the second studio album by Don McLean. Containing the chart-topping singles ‘American Pie’ and ‘Vincent,’ the record reached number one on the Billboard 200 and was certified gold within six months of release. Recorded in May and June 1971 at The Record Plant in New York City, the original 1971 LP is dedicated to Buddy Holly. McLean recorded his debut album Tapestry in 1969 in Berkeley, California, during the student riots. After being rejected 72 times by labels, the album was released by Mediarts, a label that did not exist when Don first started to look for a label. It attracted good reviews but little notice outside the folk community, though on the Easy Listening chart “Castles In The Air” was a success, and in 1973 “And I Love You So” became a number 1 Adult Contemporary hit for Perry Como. McLean’s major break came when Mediarts was taken over by United Artists Records, thus securing the promotion of a major label for his second album, American Pie. The album spawned two No. 1 hits in the title song and “Vincent”. American Pie’s success made McLean an international star and piqued interest in his first album, which charted more than two years after it’s initial release