The Bee Gees performed folk song “Blowin’ In The Wind” in 1963 on TV when they were still just kids. The vintage black-and-white footage shows the group, showcasing Barry Gibb who was 17, and his twin brothers, Robin and Maurice at just 14. While the group formed in ’58, they wouldn’t release their first album until 1965.
“Blowin’ In The Wind” is a song that has been covered by many groups over the decades. It became somewhat of an anthem during the Civil Rights Movement and Vietnam War protests. Another gorgeous rendition of the song is by “Peter, Paul & Mary” who actually sang the song for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s March amid the Civil Rights Movement.
The Bee Gees blow minds with “Blowin’ in the Wind” at such a young age
“Blowin’ in the Wind” was a song written by Bob Dylan in 1962, the year before the Bee Gees performed it on TV. The song was soon released as a single and on his album The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan in 1963. It was perfectly fitting as a Civil Rights anthem as the song has been described as a protest song, asking questions pertaining to peace, war, and freedom.
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The song was published in Sing Out! and was accompanied by comments from Dylan himself: “There ain’t too much I can say about this song except that the answer is blowing in the wind. It ain’t in no book or movie or TV show or discussion group. Man, it’s in the wind — and it’s blowing in the wind. Too many of these hip people are telling me where the answer is but oh I won’t believe that. I still say it’s in the wind and just like a restless piece of paper it’s got to come down some … But the only trouble is that no one picks up the answer when it comes down so not too many people get to see and know … and then it flies away. I still say that some of the biggest criminals are those that turn their heads away when they see wrong and know it’s wrong. I’m only 21 years old and I know that there’s been too many wars … You people over 21, you’re older and smarter.”
Remembering the impactful lyrics
Do you remember the lyrics to this incredible song?
“How many roads must a man walk down
Before you call him a man?
How many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?
Yes, ‘n’ how many times must the cannon balls fly
Before they’re forever banned?
The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind
The answer is blowin’ in the wind.”
Watch The Bee Gees perform this song below:
Let’s find out a little more about the little brother… ANDY!