01/09/2026
Barry Gibb turns 80 today.
Before the Bee Gees became global superstars, their story was being written right here in Australia — and a big part of it happened in Sydney.
The Gibb family moved to Sydney in 1963 and lived at 171 Bunnerong Road in Maroubra.
It was here that Barry, Robin and Maurice began recording for Festival Records, with the help of Australian music legends Kevin Jacobson and Col Joye.
The Joy Boys were involved in the brothers' very first recording session at Festival's Sydney studio in 1963.
A few years later, the Bee Gees were recording at Ossie Byrne's St Clair Studio in Hurstville, where they made some of the music that would eventually change their lives — including “Spicks and Specks”.
Barry even wrote “Morning of My Life” in Wagga Wagga in 1965.
They left Australia in 1966, just as “Spicks and Specks” was becoming a massive Australian hit.
The rest, of course, is music history.
Happy 80th birthday, Barry Gibb.
