Colin Petersen

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Colin Petersen (born 24 March 1946, Kinearoy, Queensland, Australia) is a former child actor and rock drummer. He played as a member of the Bee Gees on the first five albums of their international career.

[edit] Biography

Colin Petersen began his acting career at seven. He appeared in the film Smiley (1956) with Ralph Richardson but by the time he was ten he was forced to cease acting as his mother felt it was interfering with his education. While at school he developed an interest in music, starting out on piano but switching to drums. After leaving school he played with several bands including Steve and the Board and became acquainted with Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees.

Petersen moved to England in 1966, little knowing that the Bee Gees would soon be doing the same. They recruited him as their permanent drummer shortly afterwards.

It was in 1969, by which time fellow sidesman Vince Melouney had quit amicably and Robin Gibb had quit, albeit temporarily, to pursue a solo career that Petersen along with the other remaining Bee Gees was due to make the TV film Cucumber Castle. He refused to appear in any scenes other than the musical ones and was fired by manager Robert Stigwood, although he can be heard on some tracks on the Cucumber Castle album.

After the Bee Gees, he became drummer for the short lived Humpy Bong named after his school in Australia. The other two members of the trio were Tim Staffell previously bassist/frontman for Smile, which following his departure evolved into Queen, and guitarist Jonathan Kelly whom Petersen managed as a solo artist subsequent to Humpy Bong disbanding.

Eventually Petersen returned to Australia and worked as a painter.