Derek John "Blue" Weaver (born 11 March 1947) is a Welsh rock keyboardist, session musician, songwriter and

record producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure. Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

Career

Weaver's career as a musician began as a co-founding member of 1960s Welsh rock band Amen Corner and its successor

Fair Weather Fairweather or Fair Weather may refer to:. Music * Fairweather (band), an American indie rock band * Fair Weather (band), a British pop group from 1970 to 1971 * ''Fair Weather'' (album), a 2000 album by Alison Brown * "Fair Weather", a track ...

. In 1971, Weaver joined Strawbs after keyboardist Rick Wakeman departed to join Yes, contributing notable keyboard and Mellotron parts on '' Grave New World'' and '' Bursting at the Seams'', the bands' most successful and critically-acclaimed albums. Weaver left Strawbs in 1973 and toured with

Mott the Hoople Mott the Hoople were an English rock band formed in Herefordshire. Originally known as the Doc Thomas Group, the group changed their name after signing with Island Records in 1969. The band released albums throughout the early 1970s but fai ...

on their US

tour Tour or Tours may refer to: Travel * Tourism, travel for pleasure * Tour of duty, a period of time spent in military service * Campus tour, a journey through a college or university's campus * Guided tour, a journey through a location, directed ...

with supporting act

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

. The following year, he toured with Streetwalkers. In 1975, former Amen Corner bandmate

Dennis Bryon Dennis Bryon (born 14 April 1949 in Cardiff, Wales) is a Welsh rock drummer from Cardiff, best known for his work with the Bee Gees from 1974 to 1979. He also worked with Amen Corner and co-produced Robin Gibb's 1983 album, '' How Old Are You?' ...

, who had begun playing drums in The Bee Gees backing band the year before, suggested Weaver as a replacement keyboardist for the band following the departure of Geoff Westley. The three-piece backing band of Weaver, Bryon and the perennial Bee Gees sideman,

Alan Kendall Alan Kendall (born 9 September 1944) is an English musician and was the lead guitarist for the Bee Gees, in an unofficial capacity from 1971 until 1980, and again from 1987 until 2001. Career His first recording was "Don't Play That Song (You ...

, played on the Bee Gees' albums '' Main Course'' (1975), ''

Children of the World ''Children of the World'' is a 1976 album by the Bee Gees. The first single, " You Should Be Dancing", went to No. 1 in the US and Canada, and was a top ten hit in numerous other territories. It was the group's fourteenth album (twelfth interna ...

'' (1976), '' Here at Last... Bee Gees... Live'' (1977), and ''

Spirits Having Flown ''Spirits Having Flown'' is the fifteenth album released by the Bee Gees. It was the group's first album after their collaboration on the ''Saturday Night Fever'' soundtrack. The album's first three tracks were released as singles and all reach ...

'' (1979), as well as the band's famous contributions on the '' Saturday Night Fever''

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack ...

, including songs like "

Jive Talkin' "Jive Talkin" is a song by the Bee Gees, released as a single in May 1975 by RSO Records. This was the lead single from the album ''Main Course'' (as well as a song on the 1977 ''Saturday Night Fever'' soundtrack) and hit number one on the ''Bi ...

" and "

You Should Be Dancing "You Should Be Dancing" is a song by the Bee Gees, from the album ''Children of the World'', released in 1976. It hit No. 1 for one week on the American ''Billboard'' Hot 100, No. 1 for seven weeks on the US Hot Dance Club Play chart, and in S ...

". Though not credited, Weaver greatly influenced the hit song " How Deep Is Your Love". As a songwriter and composer, Weaver was credited as a co-composer on

Andy Gibb Andrew Roy Gibb (5 March 1958 – 10 March 1988) was an English singer, songwriter, and actor. He was the younger brother of Barry, Robin and Maurice, who went on to form the Bee Gees. Gibb came to prominence in the late 1970s through th ...

's hit song, "

(Our Love) Don't Throw It All Away "(Our Love) Don't Throw It All Away" is a song penned by Barry Gibb and Blue Weaver and recorded by the Bee Gees in 1977 on the '' Saturday Night Fever'' sessions but was not released until ''Bee Gees Greatest'' (1979). A different version was re ...

", as well as songs for

Jimmy Ruffin Jimmy Lee RuffinRibowsky, Mark (2010), ''Ain't Too Proud to Beg: The Troubled Lives and Enduring Soul of the Temptations'', Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, p. 89. . (May 7, 1936 – November 17, 2014) was an American soul singer, and ...

's 1980 album ''Sunrise'' with Robin Gibb as lyricist, including the hit single, "Hold On (To My Love)". Weaver composed the soundtrack for the film ''

Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...

'', again collaborating with Robin Gibb on Gibb's duet with

Marcy Levy Marcella Levy (born June 21, 1952), known professionally as Marcy Levy and (later in her career) Marcella Detroit, is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. She co-wrote the 1977 Eric Clapton hit "Lay Down Sally" and released her debut a ...

, "Help Me". In 1980, Weaver worked as a session player for the Pet Shop Boys. As of 2009, Weaver was a director and supporter of the Music Producers Guild.

References

External links

Official websiteOfficial blog & BluTubeThe Music Producers Guild
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Weaver, Blue 1947 births Living people Musicians from Cardiff Welsh keyboardists Welsh record producers Welsh session musicians Welsh songwriters Bee Gees members Immediate Records artists Strawbs members Mott the Hoople members Streetwalkers members