By Chris Baumann
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While the Bee Gees are originally British, their cradle of success was Australia. In 1958 they settled in Redcliffe (named after the red colored cliffs in the area), later moving to Sydney in the 1960s. "Spicks and Specks" was their first big success while still in Australia, with the most famous songs to follow when they returned to the U.K., and eventually moving to Florida in the U.S.
Their most streamed songs are "Stayin' Alive" and "How Deep Is Your Love." The big breakthrough was in 1977 with the "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack. The film and its soundtrack put disco on dancefloors around the globe, and the Bee Gees became a global household name, making them rich and famous.
In fact, the Bee Gees joined the exclusive club of the best-selling artists with roughly a quarter of a billion records sold, winning them Grammy Awards and entry into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Estimates put the Bee Gees in one of the top positions in billboard charts history.
Redcliffe is proud of its famous sons and in 2013 opened the Bee Gees Way in honor of Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb. The Moreton Bay Council and the Queensland Government created a new tourist attraction that was opened by the last surviving Bee Gee, Barry Gibb.
He returned in 2015 to open the improved version, by now with a large screen, showing interviews and playing the most famous tunes, including their biggest masterpiece: "Too Much Heaven." On display is a copy of a contract from the very beginning of their music careers where they played at local pubs and at the Redcliffe Raceway.
In addition to the Bee Gees Way, the original house in Scarborough still exists, but can only be "visited" from the outside. Humpybong State School (Indigenous language in the region for "deserted shelters"), where they went to school, is also still there; just across the beach.
The school's motto, "a sea of learning for the future," must be inspirational for today's pupils, given that such talent once must have composed its early music on the school grounds.
Barry Gibb later commented that some inspiration for their creativity dates back to their time in the Redcliffe area with the Australian bushland, the beaches, and the pier that is no longer there; only a shorter version, the Redcliffe Jetty, is still in existence.
It would be impossible to pinpoint a single driving factor for their success. No doubt, in part it's nature; the brothers must have inherited genes from their parents that "gave" them voices that in combination together created their unique vocal harmony, not least with phenomenal falsetto registers.
Their parents were also interested in music and created a family culture where making and enjoying music was important from an early age.
The family was poor and arrived in Australia as "ten pound Poms" ― Poms being Australian slang for the English ― on the SS Fairsea, an Australian government program at the time where British people were encouraged to migrate through a subsidized 10-pound fare (roughly a tenth of the actual transportation costs) to travel to Australia.
Two of Australia's prime ministers also arrived on the assisted passage scheme as children. In interviews the Brothers Gibb later reflected that the voyage on the SS Fairsea was a great adventure and an eye-opener, also fueling their inspirations and aspirations.
Early on, they knew they wanted success more than money, specifically fame. Somehow, they must have known they could make it big if they really tried, against all odds. Their parents supported them, yet with little praise, which was possibly a driving factor to motivate them to do better and better.
The Bee Gees Way in Redcliffe is well worth a visit for any Bee Gees fan, and also worth a visit for only vaguely interested visitors. The 70-meter walkway attracts visitors and locals alike, and often there are short conversations where locals freely share their own history with the Bee Gees.
Communication seems to be a hallmark of Redcliffe, given that their famous sons are still featured every 30 seconds on a radio somewhere in the world. It must be a never-ending Night Fever Staying Alive.
Dr. Chris Baumann (chris.baumann@mq.edu.au) is an associate professor at Macquarie University, Sydney, a visiting professor at Seoul National University (SNU) in Korea, and a visiting associate professor at Osaka University in Japan. His visit to Redcliffe was unsponsored. He has previously published on the effect of in-store music in service settings.
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