CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF ANDY GIBB!
Today, June 4, 2024 marks a very special anniversary in the career and legacy of Andy Gibb. It was on this date in 1974 that Andy, alongside his first ever band Melody Fayre, made his debut as a performer. The band played for the very first time at a at a charity pop concert at Rushen Abbey, Ballasalla in the Isle of Man, in aid of the children’s ward at the local Ballamona Hospital – and as we know, the rest is history!
We’re celebrating this week with merchandise to mark the occasion – launched here and our website www.officialandygibb.com on Thursday, June 6. Make sure you don’t miss out.
In the meantime, our thanks go out to Isle of Man community identity and Gibb family fan Martin Jones for his research and photos and sharing them with us.
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Notes from the diary of John Stringer, drummer with Melody Fayre
I’ve always remembered Terry (Clough) as being responsible for me getting together with Andy. I’d ordered a set of Paiste hi-hats from him in the Music Centre, and as my mum was in Douglas she picked them up for me. Terry told her that a guy called Andy was looking for a drummer and gave her the phone number, which was Barbara Gibb in Alexander Drive.
That was Wednesday 13 February 1974. My mum rang Barbara up and arrangements were made for me to go to Andy that night. I was quite reluctant to go when my mum told me as there was something I wanted to watch on TV, but I did go and jammed with him in the music room on his dad’s drum kit. He told me there and then that I would be his drummer!
My diary says that on Sunday 24 Feb, ‘me and Andy went to Terry’s studio in Duke Street’. On Monday the 25th we went back to Terry’s studio and were joined by Stan and John from the Ray Norman Combo. Back again on the 26th. just jamming and trying songs out.
On Monday 4th March went to Andy’s at 5pm and then to Island Music Centre, packed our gear in Terry’s Music Centre van and onto the Palace Lido, and set up on stage to practise. We practised a lot in the Lido according to my book and tried out different guitarists etc.
On Sun evening the 5th May we spent 4 hours at Terry’s Island Music Centre studios recording some demos, ‘Wouldn’t I be someone’ and Mon 6th 3 hours doing ‘Whisky’ and ‘Most Beautiful Girl’. I remember Manx Radio playing them on a program about Andy around that time. Terry gave the original demo to Andy to take home to his mother.
Our first gig was a charity do at the Rushen Abbey watched by Barry and Linda on 4th June 1974, then we did another charity gig at the Buffalo Club in Ramsey on the 15th of June before moving to Port St Mary Town Hall on the 17th of June! The letter from Pt St Mary Commissioners gave us permission to hold the disco dance subject to ‘good order being maintained’ and we had to finish playing by 11.30 pm at the latest..
Manx papers did articles and photos of us all. We started at the Peveril Hotel on the 25th June 1974, but it seems we did a few nights there and were also booked at the Grand Island Hotel in Ramsey, doing Barbecue nights as it was billed in the newspapers. I know the Grand Island sacked us because of noise complaints as we played outside on the terracing, and all the neighbours said it was too loud! So that’s how we ended up doing the full 11 week season at the Peveril in Douglas. That was 2nd July onwards to 9th Sept.
Marion / President Official Bee Gees Fan Club