Bee Gees
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Bee Gees tagged as the second most successful band in music history after the Beatles, and have had more than 200 no. 1 charts positions worldwide and the most successful sibling act in the history of pop. They had no 1. hits in each decade from the 60s to the 90s, and their Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, that topped the US album charts for 24 weeks, and remain the world's biggest selling soundtrack ever. The Bee Gees have sold over 120 million albums worldwide. The band has also won seven Grammy Awards. They were also inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. They had also been awarded the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame both in the United States and in Australia. They have also been honored with Lifetime Achievement awards by the American Music Awards, the Brit Awards and the World Music Awards.
Contents |
Former Members
Barry Gibb
Maurice Gibb
Robin Gibb
Vince Melouney
Colin Petersen
Geoff Bridgeford
Alan Kendall
Dennis Bryon
Blue Weaver
About
Bee Gees were comprised of a singing trio of brothers headed by, "Barry", "Robin", and "Maurice Gibb". Barry or "Barry Alan Crompton Gibb" was born on September 1, 1946, while the fraternal twins, “Robin Hugh Gibb” and “Maurice Ernest Gibb” were born on December 22, 1949. They were all born at Manchester, England. Their father, "Hugh Gibb" is a bandleader while their mother, "Barbara Gibb" is a former singer. The three started tp sing when they were nine and six years old at Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester, where the family had moved in 1955. Robin and Barry's unique vocals would become group trademarks, and Maurice would go on to distinguish himself on guitar, bass and keyboards. The three siblings made their earliest performances at local movie theaters in Manchester in 1955, singing between shows. Their intention was merely to mime to records as a novelty entertainment act, but when the records got broken, they sang for real and got a rousing response from the delighted audience. They started performing under a variety of names, such as "The Blue Cats" and "The Rattlesnakes".
In 1958, the family migrated in Redcliff in Queensland, Australia. Now known as the "Brothers Gibb", they continued to perform at talent shows where they caught the attention of a local DJ, "Bill Gates" which led to an extended engagement at the Beachcomber Nightclub. In 1960, the three were featured on television shows, and in the next few years, they began working regularly at resorts on the Queensland coast.
In 1962, 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 Australia under the name, Bee Gees. In that same year, they released their first single, "Three Kisses of Love". The brothers were astoundingly become popular among the press and in the television audiences. They were witness during 1963 and 1964 to the explosion of British beat music half a world away with the success of The Beatles, whose harmony-based approach to rock & roll and reliance on original songs only encouraged the Bee Gees to keep pushing in those directions. In 1965, they released a minor hit single, "Wine and Women" and eventually released their first LP, The Bee Gees Sing and Play 14 Barry Gibb Songs.
In the late 1966, the family went back to England. They seek their musical fortunes their. In mid ocean, the family learned that the Bee Gees had finally reached the #1 spot with the released of their single, "Spicks and Specks". Just as the Seekers had done upon leaving Australia, the group had sent demo recordings ahead of them to England, and "Spicks and Specks" had attracted the interest of "Robert Stigwood", a partner of Beatles' impresario "Brian Epstein". The Bee Gees signed a five-year management contract and began to hit the England in storm.
Barry Gibb and Robin Gibb alternated the lead vocal spot, harmonizing together and with Maurice Gibb. Barry played rhythm guitar as well, while Maurice, in addition to his backing vocal spot, was the triple-threat musician in the core lineup, playing bass, piano, organ, and Mellotron, among other instruments. The brothers soon added guitarist "Vince Melouney" and drummer "Colin Petersen" to the group, whose presence turned them into a fully functional performing group.
In 1967, they released their first UK Single, "New York Mining Disaster 1941". It was a hit in U.S. and U.K, was followed by a string of equally popular ballads: “To Love Somebody” which become one of the band most covered songs, “Holiday”, “Massachusetts, “Words", “I’ve Got to Get a Message to You”, and “I Started a Joke”. They also released their fist album, The Bee Gees First in that same year. Vince left the band in 1969 followed by Robin who pursue a solo career and released his single, “Saved by the Bell” which became #1 at the UK Singles Chart. Meanwhile, Barry and Maurice released a single, "Cucumber Castle".
The three brothers reunited in the later part of 1970, the band went on to have two major hits with "Lonely Days" and the US No.1, "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart". From 1970 thru 1973 The Bee Gees recorded four more albums, and hit single such as "Run To Me". In that same year, the band's appeal had shrunk to an all time low and even saw them playing cabaret at the Batley Variety club in Yorkshire! They soon switched from Polydor Records to Robert Stigwood's new label, RSO. They released their album, Life in a Tin Can with its lead single, "Saw A New Morning" which reached at #94 in the UK Singles Chart in 1973. Finally, in that same year they recorded "A Kick In The Head Is Worth Eight In the Pants", which the record company didn't release, and the band decided to move to the States.
In America, with the help of a new producer, "Arif Mardin", The grouped evolved to new musical forms, starting with the superb album Mr Natural. For that album, they added drummer "Dennis Bryon", and they later added ex-Strawbs keyboard player Blue Weaver, completing the late 1970s "Bee Gees band". Maurice, who had previously performed on piano, guitar, organ, mellotron, and bass guitar, as well as exotica like mandolin and Moog, now confined himself to bass onstage.
Their next album, Main course, was released in 1975 and became their first R&B album, up the charts. The album featured the singles, "Jive Talkin" which chartered at #1 on the UK Singles Chart and "Nights on Broadway". The album Children of the World was released in 1976, where the song "You should be dancing" anticipated "Saturday Night Fever". The soundtrack album that includes Bee Gees chart-toppers “Stayin’ Alive,” “Night Fever,” and “How Deep Is Your Love,” hit #1, and stayed on the Albums Chart for over two years, and eventually sold 30 million copies worldwide and remains the best selling soundtrack album to date. The album and the film, supercharged the phenomenon and broadened its audience to tens of millions of middle-class and working-class white listeners, with the Bee Gees at the forefront of the music. Suddenly, they were outstripping the sales that the Beatles had enjoyed with their records in the 1960s, and were even eclipsing Paul McCartney's multi-platinum '70s-era popularity.
IN 1976, they released they recorded "Golden Slumbers/Carry that Weight", "She Came in Through the Bathroom Window" and "Sun King", a Beatles cover songs for the transitory musical documentary All This and World War II. During an eight-month period beginning in the Christmas season of 1977, the brothers wrote six songs that held the #1 position on the U.S. charts for 25 of 32 consecutive weeks, three under their own name, two for brother "Andy Gibb".
In 1978, with Saturday Night Fever still high on the charts, the Bee Gees started Music for UNICEF, donating the royalties from a new song and recruiting other hit makers to do the same. They were also featured in the movie, "Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band". However, the disjointed film was savaged by the movie critics, and ignored by the public. In that same year, Barry became the only songwriter to have four straight number one hits in the U.S.A, breaking the John Lennon and Paul McCartney 1964 record. These songs were "Stayin' Alive", "Love Is Thicker Than Water", "Night Fever", "If I Can't Have You". It was also in this that another Gibb stepped forward. Taken under Barry's wing, 19 year-old Andy Gibb triumphed in 1978 with three #1 singles "I Just Want to Be Your Everything," "(Love Is) Thicker than Water" and "Shadow Dancing."
As of 1979, the Bee Gees had made five platinum albums and more than 20 hit singles. However, the band was now involved in a multi-million pound lawsuit with Stigwood. As the matter was settled out of court, the brothers contributed to another film soundtrack, "Stayin' Alive", but also turned their attentions to individual production and songwriting work.
Soon the Disco era was over. In 1980, their new album Living eyes showed a very different style. n spite of being one of their best albums, it didn't make well in the charts. In 1983, the Bee Gees had greater success with the soundtrack to Staying Alive, the sequel to Saturday Night Fever. The soundtrack was certified platinum in the US, and included their Top 30 hit "Woman In You".
In the meantime, the Bee Gees branched out, working on solo projects and writing. Barry would achieve the greatest solo success, duetting with Barbra Streisand on the chart topping "Guilty" and penning the hits Heartbreaker for Dionne Warwick and "Islands In The Stream" for Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton. In the mid 80's, Barry also penned Diana Ross comeback single, the chart topping, Motown referencing, "Chain Reaction".
The band eventually reunited in 1987 for their hugely successful comeback album, ESP which sold over 3 million copies. The single "You Win Again" went to #1 in numerous countries, including Britain but reached only #75 in the US. Thus began another phase of the Bee Gees’ history, in which their singles and albums would top the charts practically everywhere but the U.S. However, tragedy hit the following year when their younger brother Andy died of myocarditis, a heart condition, at age 30. He had a long history of addiction to drugs and alcohol. As a mark of respect, they declined to attend an Ivor Novello Awards ceremony where they were honored for Outstanding Contribution to British Music.
From 1989 to 2001, they released five more studio albums showing their huge talent for songwriting. They released their single, "One" in 1989 which landed at #5 on Germany's Single Chart. Their album, High Civilization did not chart in the U.S. but became hit in Germany and U.K. The album featured the UK top five hit "Secret Love". In 1993, they released their album, Size Isn't Everything which also featured the single, "For Whom the Bell Tolls". In 1994 they were inducted into the Songwriters’ Hall of Fame.
In 1997 the Bee Gees were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They also released their album Still Waters, which sold over four million copies, and debuted at #11 in the US. The album produced minor hit single, "Still Waters".
In 2001, they released their final album, This Is Where I Came In. After the released, the brothers decided to take a break as the Bee Gees and work individually on different projects.
The band disbanded on January 12, 2003, when Maurice Gibb died from a strangulated intestine. He was 53. Since then Barry and Robin have continued to work independently and have both released recordings with other artists. In February 2006, Barry and Robin reunited on stage for a Miami charity concert to benefit the Diabetes Research Institute. They also performed at the 30th annual Prince's Trust Concert in the UK on May 20, 2006.
Awards & Certifications
| Year | Award | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Grammy Awards | Best Performance by a Group for "How Deep Is Your Love" |
| 1978 | Grammy Awards | Best Performance by a Group for "Night Fever" |
| 1978 | Grammy Awards | Producer of the Year for "Saturday Night Fever" |
| 1978 | Grammy Awards | Album of the Year for "Saturday Night Fever" |
| 1980 | American Music Awards | Favorite Pop/Rock Band/Duo/Group |
| 1980 | American Music Awards | Favorite Pop/Rock Album for "Spirits Having Flown" |
| 1981 | Grammy Awards | Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group |
| 2000 | Grammy Awards | Lifetime Achievement Award |
| 2003 | Grammy Awards | Legend Award |
Chart Toppers
| Year | US Chart | UK Chart | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | 7 | 8 | Bee Gees 1st |
| 1968 | 12 | 16 | Horizontal |
| 1969 | 17 | 4 | Idea |
| 1969 | 20 | 10 | Odessa |
| 1970 | 94 | 57 | Cocumber Castle |
| 1979 | 1 | 1 | Spirits Having Flown |
| 1987 | 96 | 5 | E.S.P. |
| 1997 | 11 | 2 | Still Waters |
| 2001 | 16 | 6 | This is Where I Came In |
News
Tours & Concerts
There are no current tour and concert schedules for Bee Gees.
Announcements
There are no announcements as of this time
Discography
Albums
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September 1, 1971 |
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Singles
| Date | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Lonely Days | Polydor |
| 1975 | Jive Talkin | RSO |
| 1975 | RSO | |
| 1976 | Boogie Child | RSO |
| 1993 | Paying The Price Of Love | Polydor |
| 2001 | This Is Where I Came In | Polydor |
Compilations & Live Releases
Other artists
Similar artists
Contemporaries
Influences
Trivia
- The Bee Gees also appeared in a sketch on Big Train, wherein they were bandits in a shootout with fellow singer Chaka Khan.
- In an episode of The Simpsons while at a yard sale Homer and Disco Stu perform the "Staying Alive" parody "Table Five".
Reviews
External Links
Categories: Artist | Rock | Pop | Blue-Eyed Soul | Disco
