Beeb Birtles
Beeb Birtles was born Gerard Bertelkamp on November 28, 1948, in The Netherlands. Searching for a better life for his family, his father moved the family to Adelaide, South Australia, when Beeb was a young boy. Speaking no English, the first few years in Australia were difficult, to say the least, for the young lad who loved to sing harmonies with his mother. As a teenager, Beeb and his schoolmates formed a band known as Times Unlimited, which eventually turned professional and took the Australian teen music scene by storm as The Zoot. They scored several hits, including a rocking version of "Eleanor Rigby", which earned them a gold record. Following the breakup of Zoot in 1971, Beeb teamed up with former Zoot lead singer Darryl Cotton, and formed the musical duo, Frieze. The two released a moderately successful album in 1972, but parted within a year to pursue other interests. Shortly thereafter, Beeb received an invitation from Graeham Goble to join Mississippi, where he wrote and sang lead on "Will I". The nucleus of Mississippi went on to form Little River Band, where Beeb's songwriting and vocal talents were taken to new heights, with tracks such as "Happy Anniversary", "Every Day of My Life", and the often requested "I'll Always Call Your Name". Beeb left LRB in 1983 to pursue his love of songwriting and collaboration with a variety of artists, and to spend quality time with his young family. He founded his own music publishing company, Songskill, in 1985, which boasts a catalog of more than 200 songs. In 1992, Beeb moved his family to America, and he resides near Nashville, Tennessee, today. In 2000, he released his first solo project, "Driven By Dreams", on the Sonic Sorbet record label, which he co-owns with renowned session musician and producer, Bill Cuomo.
