HOW WELSH IS YOUR LOVE?

The Bee Gees wrote some of the biggest and most memorable hits of the 1970s. But, as SPENCER VIGNES reveals, it actually took two soul boys from Cardiff to bring them to life on stage and in the studio

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SIX APPEAL: Back, Dennis Bryon, Maurice and Blue Weaver; front, Robin, Barry and Alan Kendall

HEY were the biggest band on the planet in the mid-to-late 1970s thanks to a string of multi-million-selling singles like Night Fever and Stayin’ Alive, as well as several blockbuster albums.

But although the three members of the Bee Gees — brothers Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb — were among the best in the business at writing songs, they were never world-class musicians.

To bring their songs to life, both in the studio and playing live, they needed help.

For that, the Bee Gees sought out some of the top session musicians of the era.

However, those musicians didn’t come from Detroit, Los Angeles, Memphis or any of the other traditional hotbeds of the recording world - they came from Cardiff.

And not Cardiff in southern California, but Cardiff in South Wales.

The group's golden period began 50 years ago with the 1975 release of the album Main Course and lasted until 1980.

During that time most of the music on their songs was the work of drummer and percussionist Dennis Bryon along with keyboardist Derek Weaver, better known in the music business as Blue Weaver, two Welsh baby boomers who initially found fame in the 1960s group Amen Corner.

Those tight drum patterns that underpin Stayin’ Alive - that would be the work of Dennis Bryon.

The shimmering, ethereal opening to How Deep is Your Love — that would be Blue Weaver. The dirty lowdown bass note running through Jive Talkin’ - that’s Blue too.

And the pulsating starburst of sound that introduces You Should Be Dancing, responsible for guiding aspiring John Travoltas towards dancefloors the world over — well that’s Dennis and Blue doing their unique rhythm section thing together.