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Australian musician and former Bee Gees member Colin ‘Smiley’ Petersen has died aged 78. Petersen, who was born in Kingaroy, Queensland, was the legendary band’s first drummer, and is credited for contributing to their rise to global superstardom. The former child actor performed on some of the band’s most beloved songs, including Massachusetts, To Love Somebody and Words.
“It is with a heavy heart we announce the passing of our dear friend Colin ‘Smiley’ Petersen,” tribute band Best of the Bee Gees posted on its official social media account. “He enriched our lives and bound our group with love, care and respect. “Not sure how we can go on without his glowing smile and deep friendship.
We love you Col. Rest in Peace.” Peterson is survived by his ex-wife Joanne Newfield and their sons Jaime, born in 1971, and Ben, born in 1976.
He initially gained notoriety as a child actor, playing the titular character in the 1956 British-US film Smiley , where he earned his enduring nickname. Peterson attended the same school in Redcliffe, Queensland as brothers Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb, where he first developed an interest in music. Peterson moved to the UK after graduating school to break into the film business, before he joined the Bee Gees in the ‘60s, becoming the first non-Gibb brother to form part of the group.
“There was an understanding that when the Gibbs’ arrived in England, that if the film thing didn’t work out, I’d join their band,” Peterson told Geelong Independent in 2022. “So I became the fourth Bee Gee, and that was obviously a big turning point in my life.” Peterson played drums on the group’s acclaimed albums Bee Gees’ 1st, Horizontal, Idea, Odessa and Cucumber Castle.
He left the band after the first phase of their career, just before their dominance in the ‘70s disco era, due to conflicts with the group’s then-manager Robert Stigwood. Peterson moved back to Australia with his family in 1974. He lived in Redcliffe, near Brisbane, in recent years, where he had spent much of his childhood.
His life came full circle in 2019 when he was approached by talent manager Greg Shaw to join the tribute group Best of the Bee Gees. “Now, I don’t want to sound elitist here, but when you’ve been part of the real deal you’re a little bit wary of getting involved with anything that might be mediocre,” Peterson told the Geelong Independent. However, he was strong-armed into watching one of their performances in Townsville, and was left blown away by their talent, as well as the crowd’s response to his presence when it was announced he was in the audience.
“I was standing there, waiting for the spotlight to come on and I was thinking, my goodness, what’s going on here?” he said. “I’d been out of the limelight for so long, 35 years, basically. I knew people, had the respect of people in the industry, but I’d kept a very low profile.
“Then suddenly I was introduced and the spotlight hit me and I got a standing ovation. I stood there, I couldn’t believe it. A couple of women came running up the aisle and grabbed ahold of me, big hugs, all that sort of thing.
“And Greg said to me later, ‘it’s about time you owned your past’. And really, that’s what I’m doing with this band.” Peterson’s death comes after Maurice’s sudden death aged 53 in 2003, which prompted the Bee Gees to retire after 45 years.
Robin later died in 2012 aged 62, leaving Barry, Vince Melouney and Geoff Bridgford as the last surviving members of the group. This is a developing story..
