In Conversation with Grant Walters – Co-Author of ”Decades: The Bee Gees in the 1980s” – Part 1

Episode 202: In Conversation with Grant Walters – Co-Author of "Decades: The Bee Gees in the 1980s" – Part 1

A few years ago, Brian and Sarah had the privilege and pleasure to speak with Grant Walters, one of the authors of a fantastic series of books chronicling the careers of Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb—also known as the Bee Gees. The first two installments of the Decades series were written by Grant Walters, Andrew Môn Hughes, and Mark Crohan, and cover the 1960s and the 1970s.

The newest edition of Decades is written by Grant Walter and Andrew Môn Hughes, and not surprisingly, covers the 1980s. It follows the format of the previous books, going chronologically through each year of the decade, detailing the various projects and events that were keeping the Gibb brothers busy.

 

Once again, Brian and Sarah had a fantastic time talking with Grant, getting the scoop on the creation of the book, and learning more about many of the topics covered in the book. This time, however, they talked so long, they needed to break the conversation up into two episodes.

 

This episode focuses on where the Bee Gees were career-wise at the start of the 1980s, and goes on to discuss the songwriting and production work they did for other artists such as Barbra Streisand, Dionne Warwick, Kenny Rogers, and Diana Ross. (Swedish artist Carola will be covered in Part 2.)

There's also information on the promotional tour Grant and Andrew will be undertaking to support the new book, including an appearance at the Thame Museum in Thame, Oxfordshire, which is home to the Robin Gibb Gallery. The event is on September 5, and you can purchase tickets for both in-person and livestream attendance. To learn more, visit this link:
https://thamemuseum.org/join-us-for-a-very-special-evening

For more information on all the books in the Decades series about The Bee Gees, visit
https://www.beegeesdecades.com 

Videos for songs discussed in this episode:

Barbra Streisand & Barry Gibb performing "Guilty" live in 1986:
https://youtu.be/h27J_95OtQA?si=nHLb5fCXpK3epspD

Dionne Warwick – "Heartbreaker" official video:
https://youtu.be/9xHQsMYosao?si=h9iN1C-ESODraDfD

Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton performing "Islands in the Stream" live:
https://youtu.be/NE7Z8_-rnb0?si=8W5qBTlbHnr_VOWF

Diana Ross – "Eaten alive" official video:
https://youtu.be/SjhRAZStS9M?si=EGVjqtnzLSN_QJXj

Diana Ross – "Chain Reaction" official video:
https://youtu.be/lspNn8ZBAsI?si=xRQxmS2q2L2TC8-m

Diana Ross – "Experience" official video:
https://youtu.be/LCuQjAlf1Z8?si=GZUffzeQQGyNbvc0

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