Biography

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.