Known as the "American Troubadour" or "King of the Trail", [ 2 ] [ 3 ] he is best known for his hit " American Pie ", an eight-and-a-half-minute folk rock song that has been referred to as a "cultural touchstone". In , Madonna had a hit with a rendition of " American Pie ". He has other extended family in Los Angeles and Boston.
Though some of his early musical influences included Frank Sinatra and Buddy Holly , [ 8 ] as a teenager, McLean became interested in folk music , particularly the Weavers ' recording The Weavers at Carnegie Hall.
He often missed long periods of school because of childhood asthma , and although McLean slipped in his studies, his love of music was allowed to flourish.
By age 16, he had bought his first guitar and began making contacts in the music business, becoming friends with the folk singers Erik Darling and Fred Hellerman of the Weavers. Hellerman said, "He called me one day and said, 'I'd like to come and visit you', and that's what he did! We became good friends β he has the most remarkable music memory of anyone I've ever known.
When McLean was 15, his father died. Fulfilling his father's request, [ 8 ] McLean graduated from Iona Preparatory School in , [ 9 ] and briefly attended Villanova University , dropping out after four months. After leaving Villanova, McLean became associated with the famed folk music agent Harold Leventhal for several months before teaming up with his personal manager, Herb Gart. Following Gart's death [ 10 ] in September , McLean wrote:.
