Dennis Bryon, former Bee Gees drummer who played with the band between 1974 to 1980, has died. He was 76.
Bryon died on 14 November, according to Blue Weaver, who played with the drummer in the band Amen Corner.
“I am lost for words at the moment,” he posted on Facebook. “Dennis has passed away. Kayte, Dennis’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.”
Bryon died just days after another former Bee Gees drummer, Colin Petersen. Representatives for Petersen confirmed he died in his sleep early on 18 November, having just played a show last weekend.
Bryon joined the Bee Gees after Peterson left in 1969 and was briefly replaced by Geoff Bridgford.
Born on 14 April 1949 in Cardiff, Wales, Bryon started playing the drums when he was 14.
He joined Blue Weaver and Andy Fairweather Low to play in Amen Corner before working with the Bee Gees. He played with the Bee Gees for nine of the band’s top records and was on a number of their biggest hits such as “Stayin’ Alive”, “Nights on Broadway”, “How Deep is Your Love”, “You Should Be Dancing”, and “More Than a Woman”.
Describing how he started playing with the Bee Gees, Bryon said he was introduced by guitar player Alan Kendal. “In 1972 after Amen Corner broke up, I was living in an apartment in London. In an apartment in the same building lived a guitar player named Alan Kendal. Alan played with the Bee Gees and one day came up to my apartment and told me the boys were looking for a drummer, and was I interested. I was, and Alan took me to Barry Gibb’s house for my audition. That’s when I met Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb,” he told German magazine Das Veranstaltungs-und Freizeitmagazin.
Even though he wasn’t listed as an official member of the band, Bryon played on the recordings of the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, which won the band four Grammy awards.
In January 2016, Bryon went on to play with a Bee Gees tribute band called the Italian Bee Gees.
The Bee Gees, formed by brothers Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb, have sold more than 220 million records worldwide.
Maurice died in 2003, aged 53, due to complications from a twisted intestine. His twin brother, Robin, died in 2012, aged 62, from liver and kidney failure after battling colorectal cancer.
