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The Bee
Gees (Brothers Gibb)
The core members of the Bee Gees were a
singing trio of brothers — Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb — that became
one of the most successful musical acts of all time. They were born on
the Isle of Man, lived in England for several years and moved to
Australia where their music careers began; their world-wide success came
when they returned to England. The group's name is derived from the
initials "B.G.", primarily standing for Brothers Gibb.
The multiple Grammy Award-winning group was successful for all of its
forty years of recording music, but it had two distinct periods of
exceptional success: as a harmonic "soft rock" act in the late 1960s and
early 1970s, and as the foremost stars of the disco music era in the
late 1970s.
No matter the style, the Bee Gees sang tight three-part harmonies that
were instantly recognizable; as brothers their voices blended perfectly,
not unlike The Beach Boys. Barry sang lead on many songs, and an R&B
falsetto introduced in the disco years; Robin provided the clear vibrato
lead that was a hallmark of their pre-disco music; Maurice sang high and
low harmonies throughout their career. The three brothers co-wrote most
of their hits, and they said that they felt like they became 'one
person' when they were writing. The group's name was retired after
Maurice died in January 2003.
It has been estimated that the Bee Gees' album and single sales total
more than 180 million units, easily making them part of the list of
best-selling music artists. Their 1997 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
citation says "Only Elvis Presley, the Beatles, Michael Jackson, Garth
Brooks and Paul McCartney have outsold the Bee Gees".
History
The Gibb brothers were born on the Isle of Man to English parents.
Barry, born Barry Alan Crompton Gibb, on September 1,1946. Fraternal
twins Robin and Maurice, born respectively as Robin Hugh Gibb and
Maurice Ernest Gibb, on December 22, 1949.
The family returned to father Hugh Gibb's home town of Chorlton-cum-Hardy,
Manchester, England in the early 1950's where the boys began to sing in
harmony, debuting in public on one memorable occasion at a local cinema.
The boys were going to lip sync to a record, which other children had
done at the cinema in previous weeks. However, as they were running to
get there, Maurice dropped the record on the street, causing it to
break. As a result, the brothers got on stage and sang themselves. They
got a very good response from the crowd, which convinced them that
singing was what they wanted to do with their lives.
In 1958, the Gibb family, including infant brother Andy (born March 5,
1958 in Manchester, England), emigrated to Redcliffe in Brisbane,
Queensland, Australia. The still very young brothers began performing
where they could to raise pocket change. First called the Rattlesnakes,
later Wee Johnny Hayes & the Bluecats, they were introduced to radio DJ
Bill Gates (not to be confused with the founder of Microsoft) by
racetrack promoter Bill Goode (who saw them perform at Brisbane's
Speedway Circus). Gates renamed them after his and Goode's initials –
thus the name was not simply a reference to the brothers Gibb.
By 1960, the Bee Gees were featured on television shows, and in the next
few years began working regularly at resorts on the Queensland coast.
Barry drew the attention of Australian star Col Joye for his
songwriting, and Joye helped the boys get a record deal with Festival
Records in 1963 under the name "Bee Gees." The three released two or
three singles a year, while Barry supplied additional songs to other
Australian artists.
A minor hit in 1965, "Wine and Women," led to the group's first LP Barry
Gibb and the Bee Gees Sing and Play 14 Barry Gibb Songs. By late 1966,
the family decided to return to England, and seek their musical fortunes
there. Whilst at sea in January, 1967, they heard that "Spicks and
Specks", a song they had recorded in 1966, had gone to number 1 in
Australia.
Songwriting success
The Bee Gees have been incredibly successful, selling in excess of 180
million records and singles worldwide. "How Deep Is Your Love" is their
most popular composition, with over 400 versions by other artists in
existence.
Awards & Recognition
The Bee Gees were inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997;
fittingly, the presenter of the award to "Britain's first family of
harmony" was Brian Wilson, leader of the Beach Boys, America's first
family of rock harmony. The Bee Gees were inducted into The Vocal Group
Hall of Fame in 2001 as well as the ARIA Hall of Fame in 1997.
Later years
In 2001, they released what turned out to be their final album of new
material as a group, This Is Where I Came In. The album gave each member
a chance to write in their own way, as well as composing songs together.
For example, Maurice's compositions and leads are the "Man in the
Middle" and "Walking on Air," while Robin contributed "Déjà Vu,"
"Promise the Earth," and "Embrace," and Barry contributed "Loose Talk
Costs Lives," "Technicolour Dreams", and "Voice in the Wilderness". The
other songs are collaborative in writing and vocals. The Bee Gees' last
public live show together was Live by Request, a special shown on A&E.
Maurice, who had been the musical director of the Bee Gees during their
final years as a group, died suddenly on January 12, 2003 from a
strangled intestine. Initially, his surviving brothers announced that
they intended to carry on the name "Bee Gees" in his memory. But as time
passed they decided to retire the group name, leaving it to represent
the three brothers together. The same week Maurice died, Robin's solo
album Magnet was released.
Although there was talk of a memorial concert featuring both surviving
brothers and invited guests, nothing materialized. Since then Barry and
Robin have continued to work independently and have both released
recordings with other artists.
After the Bee Gees
In late 2004, Robin embarked on a solo tour of Germany, Russia and Asia.
During January 2005, Barry, Robin and several legendary rock artists
recorded "Grief Never Grows Old," the official Tsunami relief record for
the Disasters Emergency Committee. Later that year, Barry reunited with
Barbra Streisand for her top-selling album Guilty Pleasures, released as
Guilty Too in the UK as a sequel album to the previous Guilty. Robin
continued touring in Europe.
In February 2006 Barry and Robin reunited on stage for a Miami charity
concert to benefit the Diabetes Research Institute. It was their first
public performance since the death of brother Maurice. Barry and Robin
also played at the 30th annual Prince's Trust Concert in the UK on May
20, 2006.
The Bee Gees article from Wikipedia, the free
encyclopedia
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