Bee Gees Way | Redcliffe Tribute

A tribute to Redcliffe's world-famous pop group - the Bee Gees

Between Redcliffe Parade and Sutton Street, Redcliffe

In the late 1950s, three young brothers living on the Redcliffe Peninsula gathered around a microphone and for the first time performed using a name now famous around the globe.

Calling themselves the Bee Gees, the Moreton Bay Region is where it all started for the group, with the brothers signing their first music contract on the kitchen table of their Redcliffe home.

Over the next five decades Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb would take their place among the world's greatest recording artists, performing and writing some of pop music's biggest hits.

The Moreton Bay Region is home to Bee Gees Way, a walkway that honours the world famous pop group.

Located off Redcliffe Parade, Bee Gees way is a multi-media celebration of the Gibb brothers' phenomenal career and their links to Redcliffe.

Free and open every day and night, Bee Gees way has been developed in conjunction with Barry Gibb and features:

A life-size statue of the brothers as young boys in Redcliffe, complete with bare feet as requested by Barry Gibb

More than 60 captioned photographs and 13 album covers from across the band's career

Personal stories and reflections by Barry Gibb

A 70-metre mural featuring artwork of Barry, Robin, Maurice and Andy Gibb.

A new statue of the Bee Gees from the 'One Night Only' era

Seating featuring lyrics of Bee Gees songs

A copy of the contract they signed with Bill Goode and Bill Gates in 1959

A 5.3 square metre video screen showing exclusive interviews with Barry Gibb and never before seen home movie footage, along with Bee Gees songs

Light shows set to music (every night at 7pm, 7.30pm, 8pm, 8.30pm, 9pm, 9.30pm)

The Bee Gees Way photo wall comprises section eras of the Bee Gees' career:

We found paradise - life in Redcliffe

Heading to London in search of fame

Americanisation of the Bee Gees

Catching the Fever

Mythology

Life Changers

The latest additions to Bee Gees way were officially opened by Barry Gibb on September 11, 2015

Location
Between Redcliffe Parade and Sutton Street, Redcliffe

The statues
StatueThe "Bodding, Basser and Woggie"statue
It took around five months to create the statue
The bronze statue stands approximately 1.7 metres tall on a 50cm high plinth
Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb feature as boys in the statue
The statue plaque was personally scripted by Barry himself in tribute to 'Bodding, Basser and Woggie' - the boys' nicknames from when they were young
The statue was created by Brendale-based sculptor, Phillip Piperides
The backdrop to the statue features the titles of 37 songs written by the Bee Gees
Opposite the statue stands a four-metre high mural of the Bee Gees and the a statue of the brothers at the peak of their music success

The "One Night Only"statue
Built by Brendale-based sculptor Phillip Piperides, the "One Night Only"statute stands opposite the original "Bodding, Basser and Woggie"statue
Made from bronze, it stands almost 2 metres tall
It took Phillip five months to create the statue based on the band during late 1990s
Bee Gees Way is an initiative of Moreton Bay Regional Council and the Queensland Government.
Spicks and Specks Wall

History of the Bee Gees
Redcliffe in the 1950s
It was the late 1950s when three young brothers and their family moved to Redcliffe.

In 1958 the Gibb brothers played their first gig at the Redcliffe speedway.

Barry Gibb and his mother Barbara Gibb went on to sign the band's first music contract with speedway promoter Bill Goode and radio announcer Bill Gates - on the family's kitchen table in Redcliffe.

The Bee Gees were formed and went on to receive their first airplay on radio 4BH.

Breaking through - the 1960s
In the early 1960s the Bee Gees began booking gigs and appearing on local Queensland television shows, performing songs written by Barry Gibb.

In 1966 the Bee Gees released their first big single, Spicks and Specks.

Following a succession of top ten Australian singles, including Spicks and Specks, the Bee Gees returned to England to pursue their musical dreams.

Like many other young and emerging bands - including the Beatles, the Animals, the Moody Blues, the Byrds and the Yardbirds - their music was heavily influenced by country, R&B and blues recordings that were coming out of America.

In mid-1967 the Bee Gees unveiled their first internationally released album - New York Mining Disaster 1941. The album made the Top 20 in England and America.

Among the other hit singles released by the Bee Gees during the 1960s were:

To Love Somebody in 1967
Words in 1968
I've Got to Get a Message to You in 1968
I Started a Joke in 1968
Don't Forget to Remember in 1969

Moving to Miami - the 1970s
The 1970s are renowned for the creation of some of our history's most influential pop culture.

In 1975 the Bee Gees decided to move to Miami, Florida to work with super-producer Arif Mardin and take their career to the next level.

The Bee Gees were on top of the world as disco fever started to take hold in the late 70s. This is when the band would achieve mega-success.

Saturday Night Fever the movie hit cinemas in 1977. There were six Bee Gees songs on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack.

Each song was a huge hit:

Stayin Alive
How Deep is Your Love
Night Fever
More Than a Woman
Jive Talkin
You Should Be Dancing
In 1979 the Bee Gees single "Love You Inside Out"became their ninth Number One single and six consecutive Number One hit - equalling a feat set by The Beatles.

Work with other artists
The songwriting talents of the Bee Gees can be found in countless hit songs recorded by other artists. Some examples include:

"Guilty"in 1980 with Barbra Streisand and Barry Gibb
"Heartbreaker"in 1982 with Dionne Warwick
"Islands in the Stream"in 1983 with Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton
"Chain Reaction"in 1985 with Diana Ross and the Bee Gees; and
"Immortality"in 1998 with Celine Dion and the Bee Gees
Their legacy continues
The Bee Gees have sold more than 200 million records making them one of the best-selling music artists of all time.

In 1997 Barry, Robin and Maurice were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The writing on their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame citations says: Only Elvis Presley, the Beatles, Michael Jackson, Garth Brooks and Paul McCartney have outsold the Bee Gees.

Barry Gibb is second only to Paul McCartney in the Guinness Book of Records' most successful songwriters in history.
Maurice Gibb died in 2003. Robin Gibb passed away in 2012.