Colin Petersen, the unique drummer for the Bee Gees, died Monday, Fox Information Digital has confirmed. He was 78.
The information of his loss of life was “sadly” confirmed by Evan Webster of Better of the Bee Gees, a tribute band that Petersen performed with.
“It’s with a heavy coronary heart we announce the passing of our pricey good friend Colin ‘Smiley’ Petersen,” Webster wrote on the band’s Fb web page. “He enriched our lives and certain our group with love, care and respect. Unsure how we will go on with out his glowing smile and deep friendship. We love you Col. Relaxation in Peace.”
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Colin Petersen, inset, the unique drummer for the Bee Gees, has died. He was 78. (Getty Photos)
Petersen performed on the albums “Bee Gees’ 1st,” “Horizontal,” “Concept,” “Odessa” and, though uncredited, “Cucumber Citadel.”
He carried out hits together with “To Love Any individual,” “Massachusetts” and “Phrases.”
Whereas Petersen was an acclaimed musician, he initially discovered fame at a younger age as a baby actor, starring within the 1955 movie “Smiley” with Sir Ralph Richardson.
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The movie gave him his nickname – “Smiley” – and extra alternatives within the trade, together with roles in “Unusual Affection” and “A Cry from the Streets.”
Colin Petersen, backside proper, carried out on numerous Bee Gees tracks. (GAB Archive)
Colin Petersen discovered fame at a younger age as a baby star in “Smiley.” (LMPC)
Petersen met the Gibb brothers whereas attending faculty on the Redcliffe Peninsula in Australia and would take heed to the Bee Gees recording classes, ultimately enjoying on early releases of the brothers’ information.
It was not till Petersen met up with the Gibbs in England that he grew to become the primary non-Gibb brother of the Bee Gees.
“I used to be actually fairly imaginative with my enjoying, however there have been loads of drummers on the time that have been technically rather more superior than I used to be,” he instructed the “Unusual Brew” podcast in 2022 of his work with the Bee Gees. “Look, Chuck Berry solely in all probability knew 4 chords, proper? So, typically whenever you’re restricted, you’ve acquired to be artistic … I believe you may overdo the approach and also you get to a stage the place you may’t see the wooden for the timber. I’ve all the time been a music man with drumming.”
He formally left the band in 1969, explaining on the podcast that he had points with the band’s supervisor, Robert Stigwood. He accused him of “taking a much bigger piece of the pie than he was entitled to” and declined to clarify additional.
Colin Petersen moved to England to pursue music, the place he met up with the Gibb brothers. (Keystone)
After chopping ties with the Bee Gees, Petersen fashioned a band referred to as Humpy Bong with singer Jonathan Kelly. The band was short-lived, and after it disbanded, he managed Kelly’s solo profession for a time.
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In 1974, Petersen returned to his homeland of Australia with spouse Joanne Newfield. They raised their two sons, Jaime and Ben, in Sydney. He labored in manufacturing and administration within the music trade for a number of years earlier than he was approached by the Better of the Bee Gees band 5 years in the past.
Australian musician Colin Petersen, the drummer for the Bee Gees, together with his spouse Joanne Newfield at their dwelling in London, circa 1968. (Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Photos)
In 2022, he admitted in an interview with the Fassifern Guardian that he was “a bit bit reluctant at first” to get entangled with the tribute band.
“I went to see the present,” he defined. “It might have been in regards to the third music in, and I assumed to myself, bloody hell, this band is de facto nice, and the voices have been so shut, and it was effectively introduced and so they all appear actually snug on stage and having fun with it, which is de facto necessary.”
Once they requested him to play with them, he was nervous because it had been so lengthy since he performed the drums – as a self-proclaimed perfectionist, he was decided to not make any errors.
Pop group the Bee Gees posed on a avenue in London in 1967. Members of the band are, from left to proper, Colin Petersen, Maurice Gibb, Barry Gibb, Vince Melouney and Robin Gibb. (Ivan Keeman/Redferns)
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The band despatched him a drum package, and he started working towards, pushing himself to get via the songs with none errors. He mentioned, “After six weeks of this, I put my hand up, and I adore it. It’s actually nice.”
With Petersen’s loss of life, Barry Gibb is the final dwelling unique member of the Bee Gees.
