Donald McLean III / məˈkleɪn / (born October 2, 1945) [1] is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, known to fans as the "American Troubadour" or "King of the Trail". [2][3] He is best known for his 1971 hit "American Pie", an eight-and-a-half-minute folk rock song that has been referred to as a "cultural touchstone". [4] .