Former Bee Gees drummer Dennis Bryon has died at 76, just four days after the passing of Colin “Smiley” Petersen, another time keeper from one of the sibling trio’s classic eras. Bryon’s death was confirmed by Blue Weaver, the keyboardist in their 1960s Welsh rock band, Amen Corner.
“I am lost for words at the moment… Dennis has passed away,” Weaver wrote on Facebook last Thursday. “Kayte, Denni’s wife has just called me and asked if I would let all friends and fans know. This was such a shock. Dennis has been my friend, since we were in our first band together at age 15. His great drumming will always Stay Alive…” Weaver did not provide a cause of death or any additional details on when Bryon passed.
Bryon took over the drum seat from Petersen, who died on Nov. 18 at the age of 78; Petersen joined the English-Australian band formed by brothers Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb in 1966, playing on a string of early hits that cemented the trio’s vocal prowess, including “To Love Somebody” and “I Started a Joke.”
Following Petersen’s departure, Cardiff, Wales-bred Bryon teamed up with the Gibbs in 1973, just as their star was set to shoot to supernova in the midst of the disco revolution. His first recorded appearance was on the band’s 12th studio album, 1974’s Mr. Natural, which presaged their pivot to a more R&B/soul-influenced sound. That direction was further cemented on the following year’s Main Course, which featured the funky singles “Night on Broadway” and “Jive Talkin’.”
Their winning streak continued on 1976’s Children of the World, on which their full pivot to dancefloor dons produced the Billboard Hot 100 smash “You Should Be Dancing,” a prelude to the album that would make them the undisputed kings of the disco era: their Saturday Night Fever soundtrack.
That 1977 companion to the hit John Travolta movie of the same name was for a time the best-selling album ever — and still ranks in the top 10 on that list — thanks to such indelible jams as “How Deep Is Your Love,” “Night Fever,” “Stayin’ Alive,” “More Than a Woman,” “If I Can’t Have You” and others.
He continued performing and recording with the band through the rest of the decade, with his final recorded efforts with the Gibbs appearing on 1979’s Spirits Have Flown, which spawned yet more No. 1 hits in “Love You Inside Out,” “Tragedy” and “Too Much Heaven.”
According to a bio, Dennis Ronald Bryon was born in Cardiff on April 14, 1949 and began playing the drums at 14 before forming Amen corner with beloved British guitarist Andy Fairweather Low (Roger Waters, Eric Clapton). The group scored a number of European hits with songs including “Gin House Blues,” “Bend Me Shape Me,” “Hello Susie” and “Living in a World of Broken Hearts.”
After Amen Corner broke up, Bryon auditioned for the Bee Gees in 1973 and later became the only drummer in pop history — besides the Beatles’ Ringo Starr — to having five songs in the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 chart simultaneously. After leaving the Bee Gees, Bryon moved to Nashville and began a long career as a session musician, preforming and recording with Barbra Streisand, Kenny Rogers, Jimi Hendrix, Dave Edmunds and, more recently, The Italian Bee Gees. He released a memoir, You Should Be Dancing, in 2015.
Following the deaths of Maurice Gibb in 2003 at 53 and twin Robin in 2012 at age 62, eldest sibling Barry, 78, is the last surviving member of the Bee Gees.
