. Thanks for reading.

Maurice Gibb has been pulling at me lately, pushing and prodding me in his own special way. Waking up in the middle of the night with him on my mind prompted me to pull one of my first stories that I have in my archives for the book. I hope you enjoy it.

Marianne New York City- 2001

I started listening to the Bee Gees in 1970 (if you can believe that). I was 14, and my friend Rose Marie was a fanatic for Barry Gibb. We used to go to her house after school and play their records. She had posters of Barry, but I thought Maurice was sweet and was drawn to him. I think it was because he was quieter than the other brothers, and I was very shy myself. As time went on, I learned more about him, and I was jealous of Lulu, of course. I think every girl on the planet was, but then he was divorced and I dreamed of being his next girlfriend. Rose Marie and I saved our pennies and got tickets to the Central Park concert in 1975, and I’ll never forget how excited I was as the time got closer to me seeing my dream man. The concert was on June 17, and for weeks before I couldn’t sleep or eat. I was a nervous wreck. We arrived hours ahead of the show, and the park was already getting crowded. The crowd was crazy at the concert in Central Park, but we were very close to the stage and I was on the side where Maurice stood. I could barely breathe when he first came on stage and I saw him. He looked right at me, and he smiled, and that was the end for me. I would have followed him to the ends of the earth after that show. I never took my eyes from him for one minute. I remember that he didn’t have any solos of his own, but he seemed to be the musician who knew exactly what was going on every minute, like he was in charge of the band. Maybe that was all in my mind, but that’s how I felt. He was smaller than Barry and Robin, smaller than I thought he would be, but I clearly heard his voice and thought how wonderful it was that this amazing sound was created when the three of them sang together. My memory of that night is still clear in my mind. I remember a gentle, sweet guy who just took my 19-year-old heart away with him. I was so overcome that night, and I can’t really describe how it changed me. He was just the best a girl could ask for. I have followed his ups and downs and never have wavered in my support of him or his music. I was personally hurt when he married Yvonne because I wanted him for myself, and now he was “off the market”, but I was happy when he had children of his own because I knew he deserved a nice family. I guess because I had fallen in love with my boyfriend Jack and we were to marry in 1980, I was more generous about sharing Maurice, but I still felt like he was “mine”. I consider myself his biggest fan. I am not a wild, screaming fan, but more of a quiet, devoted fan who feels lucky to have heard his music at the beginning of his career and who has watched him grow and change. Being a Bee Gee fan is different from being a fan of any other group. They are special, and Maurice Gibb is different from other musicians. I think he is so much more talented and versatile than people realize, but he has a big heart, and that’s what makes me love him the most. He is incredible.