Our
memories of
The Bee Gees
Just
thought I would share a few 'experiences'.
I first met the Bee Gees in Los Angeles through their producer-at-that-time, Karl
Richardson and Albhy Galuten, who had been my room-mates at the infamous house on 144th
street in Miami years before. The three of us had also shared an apartment before that. I
might well have been part of the producing team for the Bee Gees had my search for rock
stardom not lead me down a different path.
Karl and Albhy were in LA for a Bee Gees concert and rang me up to
come down to the hotel for a drink. I met Karl and Albhy at the bar where they introduced
me to Robin and Molly Gibb, and Robert Stigwood. After cocktails, we went up to the suite
where I was introduced to Barry and Maurice. All of the brothers were very cordial and
polite to this obvious 'outsider'!
Returning to Miami several years later after a failed career as an
artist, I went back to work at Criteria Studios as an engineer. I assisted several
sessions for Andy with Barry producing. It was during Andy's 'troubled' times, and he was
always late for the sessions. Barry never lost his cool and was always the professional,
keeping things together and coaching Andy through some difficult vocal overdubs.
Several months later, Robin and Maurice began producing a singer named
Jimmy Ruffin, brother of the famous David. I also assisted on these sessions. Robin and
Maurice were very pleasant to work with. Robin, who usually is the most reserved in a very
British sense, actually showed a comedic side of himself, telling some stories that had us
rolling on the control room floor.
My first opportunity to show my talents came when the bass player
failed to show up for a tracking session. Not being able to stand in the control room and
hear just drums keyboard and guitar, I quietly slipped out into the studio and picked up
the bass - a pretty bold move for 'just an assistant engineer', but I made it clear that
it was only just until the session bassman arrived, so they could at least hear some
'bottom' while they ran the songs down. As it was, the session guy never did show, and I
wound up on 3 cuts of the record.
During this time, Dennis Bryon got married, and Barry threw a wedding
party at his mansion in Miami Beach which I was invited to. Upon arrival, I was surprised
to see Barry himself at the door, personally greeting and thanking every guest for coming.
What a class-act he is. I almost felt sorry for Dennis - and equally uncomfortable for
Barry who spent the better part of the evening trying not to be the center of attention.
In 1980, Albhy asked me if I would like to play guitar on a few tracks
they were producing for a new Bee Gees record called "Livin' Eyes". I got to
play the slide parts on the title cut and some rhythm guitar on several others. When this
LP was finished, the brothers had a playback party and I was invited. I asked my
girlfriend at the time (now my wife) if she would like to go. Being a huge Bee Gees fan,
she was nonetheless ecstatic. I will never forget the look on her face when we walked in
and there was Barry in his white shirt & pants, smiling and greeting everyone.
Somewhere around 1985, Karl Richardson called me up to come sing some
background vocals on Barry's solo album. Now Barry is perfectly capable of singing any
number of harmony parts himself, but Karl was looking for a different sound to offset
Barry's lead vocals. My singing partner at the time, John Sambataro and I went to the
session and were amazed at Barry's absolutely perfect pitch. We actually sang on the same
microphone with Barry, and he could hear even the tiniest variations in the pitch. Being
the perfectionist he is, he really 'worked' us that night! Sadly, the album was never
released.
A couple years later, I was asked to play in the orchestra at one of
Barry's "Love & Hope" charity events. It was a fabulous affair and I also
took my wife, who got to have her picture taken with Barry. After the picture, Barry
thanked my wife! It was a real thrill, playing in a twenty piece orchestra, and backing up
Barry and Andy who came up to sing a couple numbers!
After the release of "Size..", my wife
and I went to a record store where the brothers performed an
acoustic set and signed autographs for two solid hours. I
was the very last person in line and asked to have this
picture taken
Look at those faces! These men had just spent
three hours in a hot, crowded music store, and it was also at a time when Barry was
suffering terrible arthritic pain in his hands. After this photo was taken, the brothers
left the store, and then spent ANOTHER 45 minutes outside, answering every single question
from the die hard fans who stayed.
These guys are a local treasure, contributing a great number of
dollars and hours to worthy causes, and most of all, never forgetting where they came from
or the fans behind them. Their recordings represent the pinnacle of technical and musical
excellence, and the songs are timeless.
Chuck Kirkpatrick
Hi,
Just a note to say that I worked with Arif Mardin
and the Bee Gees as a recording engineer on their
"ESP" album at Atlantic Studios in New York in 1987.
I found them to be delightful, respectful individuals. (Unusual for
musicians of their stature) I will never forget the moment when they first went into the
vocal booth to record a guide track for one of the songs we were working
on. It was that famous blend of voices that I had known and loved all those years, but
this time they were three feet in front of my face. It was a great thrill.
This is a new column. It will be written by you the
fans and friends of the Bee Gees. If you have a story
or just want to write about your experience in
meeting the guys, please drop me an e-mail and I'll
be happy to post it here. bramgibb@yahoo.com
Mary Rose
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