The Hereford Times

Bee Gees honoured with green plaque

6:28pm Saturday 10th May 2008

The Bee Gees are to be honoured for their contribution to pop music with the unveiling of a special plaque in London.

Brothers Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb were one of the biggest acts of the 1970s and won multiple Grammy Awards during their 35-year career.

The tribute is the latest in a long line of "green plaques" celebrating the achievements of some of Westminster's most famous former residents, including Oscar Wilde, TS Eliot and Jane Austen.

Robin Gibb is due to unveil the plaque on the facade of 67 Brook Street, the former Mayfair home of the band's manager and producer Robert Stigwood, where the trio spent much of their time rehearsing and composing songs between 1968 and 1980.

Gibb said: "It's a tremendous honour to be acknowledged for doing something we love and a joy to be able to celebrate the unveiling of this marvellous green plaque. This location means a great deal to us and is somewhere we wrote a lot of our songs."

He added that as well as being a celebration of the band's music and achievements, the plaque would also be a memorial to Maurice, who died in 2003.

To date, 77 plaques have been erected by Westminster Council to commemorate buildings in the city associated with people who have made lasting contributions to society.

Councillor Robert Davis, Westminster's cabinet member for planning, said: "We are very proud to commemorate the Bee Gees for the great contribution they have made to rock and roll and pop music. The Bee Gees had a vital association with Westminster and this plaque is a reminder that the city's rich heritage is comprised of extraordinary figures from all professions as well as historic buildings."

The Bee Gees were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 1997. They have sold more than 200 million records worldwide and are in the top five of the most successful recording artists of all time, together with The Beatles, Elvis, Michael Jackson and Sir Paul McCartney.

Australian-born producer Stigwood, who now lives on the Isle of Wight, is widely credited with masterminding the Bee Gees' rise to fame. He is also known for promoting world-famous acts such as Cream, Mick Jagger, Rod Stewart and David Bowie as well as theatrical productions Hair and Jesus Christ Superstar.